Klebsiella is a gram-negative bacteria that can cause severe infections and diseases. The term “Klebsiella” comes from the German pathologist, Edwin Klebs who had done important research about infectious diseases. Klebsiella belongs to the family of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria (Buzzle.) They are immovable and are rod-shaped bacteria (Microbe Wiki.) They are also an encapsulated bacteria, the capsule covering a cell helps to become resistant to many antibiotics (Microbe Wiki.) Klebsiella pneumoniae belongs to the bacterial normal flora in the intestinal tract, when Klebsiella pneumonia lives in the human intestine, it cannot cause disease (Everyday Health.) Klebsiella are ubiquitous organisms that are able to invade the gastrointestinal tract, …show more content…
They enter the body by eating vegetables that are not properly washed, eating contaminated food, and drinking contaminated water (Microbe Wiki.) Most of the time, Klebsiella pneumoniae is a very common infection in persons that have diseases such as diabetes and chronic lung disease. In chronic alcoholic patients, this infection is also very common (Microbe Wiki.) The infection is called nosocomial meaning that it appears in hospitalized patients that have a weak immune system (Everyday health.) A person cannot get this infection from the air, to get K. pneumoniae, a person must have to have direct contact with a person infected, like touching a wound, using contaminated breathing tubes, and contaminated medical equipment. Contaminated intravenous catheters are able to cause bloodstream infection (Microbe …show more content…
pneumoniae enters the lungs, it can damage them leading to inflammation and hemorrhage of the lung tissues. The rapid destruction of lung tissue is a very common factor for the infection Klebsiella pneumonia (Microbe Wiki.) Some of the first symptoms that, Klebsiella pneumoniae can cause is a sudden high fever that is accompanied by other symptoms such as chills and dizziness. The symptoms of the flu are very similar to the ones of K. pneumonia (Everyday health.) When the infection spreads there can be abscess formation. These abscesses are bags of dead tissue that contain the bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae. The abscess formation in the lungs also follows with the connective tissues that surround them which can lead to lung collapse in some cases. When the infection is spread to the upper respiratory tract, it can cause a severe respiratory congestion. This leads to a fetid nasal discharge. The most common symptoms are a cough, runny nose, chest pain, chest congestion, rapid breathing, nausea, headache, high fever, and confusion