Klebsiella is a ‘superbug’ that causes a range of diseases, depending on which part of the body it infects.
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a bacterium that usually lives inside the human intestine, where it does not cause disease.
However, if pneumonia spreads to other areas of the body, it can cause a range of different diseases.
These include:
Pneumonia
Blood stream infection
Wound infections
Surgical site infections
Meningitis
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
How Klebsiella Pneumoniae Spreads
K. Pneumonia infections are usually “nosomical” infections, meaning they are contracting in a hospital or health care setting.
People who have a weakened immune system, or sick or injured people who are undergoing various health procedures are more likely to have a Klebsiella infection.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), healthy people generally do not have to worry about pneumonia infections.
Bacteria are not airborne, so you cannot contract pneumonia by breathing in the air like an infected person.
Instead, pneumonia is spread through direct personal contact, such as touching a wound with contaminated hands.
Contamination can also be caused by the use of contaminated medical equipment.
For example, people on a ventilator can contract Klebsiella pneumonia if the respiratory tract is contaminated with bacteria.
Similarly, the use of contaminated vein catheters can lead to bloodstream infections.
Prolonged use of antibiotics can also increase a person’s risk of developing Klebsiella infection.
Signs and Symptoms of Klebsiella Pneumoniae
The symptoms of pneumonia infection depend on where the infection is, and are similar to the symptoms of similar illnesses caused by other germs.
For example, bacterial meningitis causes significant symptoms, including meningitis, confusion, neck stiffness, and sensitivity to bright light.
Bleeding infections (bacteria and sepsis) from Klebsiella cause fever, chills, rash, lightheadedness and altered mental states.
Pneumonia can result from pneumonia:
I have a fever and a cold
Flu-like symptoms
Cough, which can produce mucus that is yellow, green, or bloody
Respiratory problems
Treatment and Medication Options for Klebsiella Pneumoniae
Doc doctors usually use antibiotics to treat pneumonia infections.
However, the increase in antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria complicates matters.
Some “superbug” strains of pneumonia are resistant to most antibiotics, including carbapenium, which is considered the last resort.
These bacteria produce an enzyme called Clubbella pneumoniae carbapenesmis (KPC), which renders antibiotics ineffective.
These tough, high-risk microbes are part of a group called carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria, or CRE.
According to the CDC, carbapenem-resistant Clebsella is the most common type of CRE, and is responsible for approximately 7,900 infections and 520 deaths each year.
To treat CRE, doctors have relied on a number of powerful antibiotics that still have some effect against bacteria, especially when used in combination, daily diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease. According to a report in January.
These medicines include:
Aminoglycosides
Polymexone
Tyg cycline
Phosphomycin
Timosilin