klebsiella

/kleb'zee el"euh, klep'see-/, n. Bacteriol.

any of several rod-shaped, aerobic bacteria of the genus Klebsiella, certain species of which, as K. pneumoniae, are found in the respiratory, intestinal, and genitourinary tracts of humans and animals and are sometimes pathogenic.

[ < NL (1885), after E. KLEBS; see -ELLA]

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Any of the rod-shaped bacteria that make up the genus Klebsiella.

They are gram-negative (see gram stain), thrive better without oxygen than with it, and do not move. K. pneumoniae, also called Friedländer's bacillus, can infect the human respiratory tract and cause pneumonia and, as well as some other species, human urinary-tract and wound infections.

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▪ bacteria genus

 genus of rod-shaped bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Klebsiella organisms are categorized microbiologically as gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, nonmotile bacteria. Klebsiella pneumoniae, also called Friedländer's bacillus, can infect the human respiratory tract and cause pneumonia, although the disease is usually seen only in patients with underlying medical problems such as alcoholism or chronic pulmonary disease. Traditionally the bacteria K. pneumoniae, K. ozaenae, and K. rhinoscleromatis were recognized as separate species, but DNA studies indicate that all three should be classified as subspecies of K. pneumoniae. For medical purposes the species distinctions are still observed, however. Other Klebsiella species include K. oxytoca and K. planticola, which, along with K. pneumoniae, can cause human urinary tract and wound infections.

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