Klebsiella: A Gut Bacterium That Turns Dangerous in Hospitals

Klebsiella is a gram-negative bacterium that normally lives in human stool, and healthy people usually do not get Klebsiella infections. The trouble starts in hospitals, among patients already being treated for something else. There it causes pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections and meningitis — and some strains are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, including carbapenems, often the last line of defense against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

A medical illustration of Klebsiella. CDC.

Who gets it, and how

The patients most at risk are those with devices — ventilators (breathing machines) or intravenous catheters in a vein — and those taking long courses of certain antibiotics.

Stopping it

Patients should clean their hands often: before preparing or eating food; before touching their eyes, nose or mouth; before and after changing wound dressings or bandages; after using the restroom; after blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing; and after touching hospital surfaces such as bed rails, bedside tables, doorknobs, remote controls or the phone.

Healthcare staff should always follow CDC's core infection control practices, which lower the risk of passing these germs to patients.

Diagnosis and treatment

A provider sends a specimen to a laboratory to find out whether someone has a Klebsiella infection; the same testing shows which treatment will work best. Infections are generally treated with antibiotics, but strains resistant to several antibiotics are difficult to treat.

What CDC does

• Tracks Klebsiella infections through the Emerging Infections Program and the National Healthcare Safety Network, and tests some species for resistance through the Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network; the data are on the AR & Patient Safety Portal.
• Works with health departments, other federal agencies, healthcare providers and patients to prevent Klebsiella infections and slow the spread of resistant germs.

Sources

Based on "Klebsiella pneumoniae in Healthcare Settings," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.