ABIS Encyclopedia

Genus Klebsiella

Taxonomy

Morphology

Growth conditions

Biochemical characters

Ecology

Pathogenicity

References

Proteobacteria => Gammaproteobacteria => Enterobacteriales => Enterobacteriaceae => Klebsiella =>
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae – type species of the genus, Trevisan 1887 (Bacillus pneumoniae Schroeter 1886)
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. ozaenae Orskov 1984 (Bacterium ozanae, Abel 1893)
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. rhinoscleromatis Orskov 1984 (Trevisan 1887)
Klebsiella granulomatis Carter et al. 1999, (Calymmatobacterium granulomatis Aragão & Vianna 1913)
Klebsiella mobilis Bascomb et al. 1971 (synonym: Enterobacter aerogenes)
Klebsiella ornithinolytica Sakazaki et al. 1989 (previously ornithine-positive Klebsiella oxytoca strains)
Klebsiella oxytoca Lautrop 1956, (Bacillus oxytocus perniciosus Flügge 1886)
Klebsiella planticola Bagley et al. 1982 (synonym: Klebsiella trevisanii Ferragut et al. 1983)
Klebsiella singaporensis Li et al. 2004
Klebsiella terrigena Izard et al. 1981
Klebsiella variicola Rosenblueth et al. 2004

K. planticola, K. ornithinolytica & K. terrigena, were classified in the genus Raoultella in 2001.

Gram negative, straight, facultatively anaerobic, non-motile, capsulated, 0.3-05 μm / .06-6
μm bacilli. Glistening moist colonies of varying degrees of stikiness (M–type colonies).
K. oxytoca strains produce a dark brown pigment when growth on media containing
gluconate and ferric citrate.

No special requirements. Facultatively anaerobic, optimum growth temperature 35 - 37 °C.

Nutrient agar or nutrient broth;
Trypticase Soy Agar ± 5% sheep blood;
Mac Conkey.
Mueller-Hinton agar

Widely distributed in nature. Isolated from soil and plants, where they seem to be
responsible for nitrogen fixation, also isolated from water, and some from clinical
specimens (humans & animals).

K (capsular) and O (somatic) antigens presented. Cross-reaction of K & O antigens of Klebsiella with antigens of E. coli, Streptococcus
pneumoniae and Salmonella paratyphi may occur. No H (flagellar) antigens presented.
Many strains produce bacteriocins.
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae may cause infections of the urinary and respiratory tract (pneumonia) in humans and
animals (capsule type 1,2 & 3), also metritis in mares. K. pneumoniae capsule type 1 & 2 are highly virulent for mice. May cause
meningitis, diarrhea, bacteremia, wounds & burns infections. Enterotoxin similar to ST and LT and plasmid mediated. Also isolated
from plants – rice. Leg arthritis followed by leg necrosis & septicaemia in canaries (admin note).
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. ozaenae occurs in ozena (a chronic disease of the nose characterized by a foul-smelling nasal
discharge and atrophy of nasal structures) and other chronic diseases of the respiratory tract.
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. rhinoscleromatis causes a slowly progressing granulomatous disease of the nasal mucous membrane
(rhinoscleroma).
Klebsiella granulomatis causes donovanosis (chronic genital ulceration).
Klebsiella oxytoca – neonatal infections (bacteremia), urinary tract infections, pneumonia.
Klebsiella planticola - isolated from plants; one report of isolation of Klebsiella planticola from neonates (oropharyngeal and intestinal).
Klebsiella variicola was isolated from plants and clinical samples.

Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 9th ed., 1994;
Trevisan V.: Carratteri di alcuni nuovi generi di Batteriacee. Atti della Accademia Fisica-Medica-Stastistica in Milano (ser 4),
1885, 3, 92-107.
Carter J.S., Bowden F.J., Bastian I., Myers G.M., Sriprakash K.S. & Kemp D.J.: Phylogenetic evidence for reclassification of
Calymmatobacterium granulomatis as Klebsiella granulomatis comb. nov. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1999, 49, 1695-1700.
Sakazaki R., Tamura K., Kosako Y. and Yoshizaki E.: Klebsiella ornithinolytica sp. nov., formerly known as ornithine-positive
Klebsiella oxytoca. Curr. Microbiol., 1989, 18, 201-206.
Lautrop H.: Gelatin-liquefying Klebsiella strains (Bacterium oxytocum (Flügge)). Acta Pathologica et Microbiologica Scadinavica,
1956, 39, 375-384.
Gavini F. et al.: Priority of Klebsiella planticola Bagley, Seidler, and Brenner 1982 over Klebsiella trevisanii Ferragut, Izard, Gavini,
Kersters, De Ley, and Leclerc 1983. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 1986, 36, 486-488.
Li X., Zhang D., Chen F., Ma J., Dong Y. & Zhang L.: Klebsiella singaporensis sp. nov., a novel isomaltulose-producing
bacterium. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2004, 54, 2131-2136.
Izard D., Ferragut C., Gavini F., Kersters K., De Ley J. & Leclerc H.: Klebsiella terrigena, a new species from soil and water. Int. J.
Syst. Bacteriol., 1981, 31, 116-127.
Rosenblueth M. et al.: Klebsiella variicola, a novel species with clinical and plant-associated isolates. Syst. Appl. Microbiol.,
2004, 27, 27-35
R. Podschun et al.: Isolation of Klebsiella planticola from Newborns in a Neonatal Ward Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August
1998, p. 2331-2332, Vol. 36, No. 8

See table 1.
Klebsiella planticola and Klebsiella terrigena cannot be easily differentiated from other
Klebsiellae. Aditional methods required. See table 2.

Klebsiella variicola - genetically differentiated from K. pneumoniae strains; do not ferment
adonitol.

	Pigment	Catalase	Oxidase	Lactose	ONPG	Arginine dihydrolase	Lysine decarboxylase	Ornithine decarboxylase
Klebsiella oxytoca	-	+	-	+	+	-	+	-
Klebsiella planticola	-	+	-	+	+	-	+	-
Klebsiella pneumoniae ozaenae	-	+	-	=	[+]	-	=	-
Klebsiella pneumoniae pneumoniae	-	+	-	+	+	-	+	-
Klebsiella pneumoniae rhinoscleromatis	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	-
Klebsiella terrigena	-	+	-	+	+	-	+	[-]

Indole production	Citrate utilization	Hydrogen sulfide	Urea hydrolysis	Voges-Proskauer	Phenilalanine	Motility	Gelatinase	Growth on KCN media	Malonate
+	+	-	+	+	-	-	-	+	+
[-]	+	-	+	+	-	-	-	+	+
-	=	-	-	-	-	-	-	[+]	-
-	+	-	+	+	-	-	-	+	+
-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[+]	+
-	=	-	-	+	-	-	-	+	+

Glucose	Gas from glucose	D-Mannitol	Inositol	D-Sorbitol	L-Rhamnose	Sucrose (Sacharose)	Melibiose	L-Arabinose	Nitrate reduction
+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
+	=	+	=	=	=	[-]	+	+	[+]
+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
+	-	+	+	+	+	[+]	+	+	+
+	[+]	+	[+]	+	+	+	+	+	+

Cellobiose	Dulcitol	Glycerol	Maltose	D-Mannose	Alfa-Methyl-D-Glucoside	Raffinose	Salicin	Trehalose	D-Xylose
+	=	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
+	[-]	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
+	-	=	+	+	=	+	+	+	+
+	=	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
+	-	=	+	+	-	+	+	+	+
+	[-]	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+

Mucate	Tartrate (Jordans)	Esculin hydrolysis	Acetate utilization	Deoxyribonuclease	Lipase	Mehyl red	D-Adonitol
+	+	+	+	-	-	[-]	+
+	+	+	=	-	-	+	+
[-]	=	[+]	-	-	-	+	+
+	+	+	[+]	-	-	[-]	+
-	=	=	+	-	-	+	+
+	+	+	[-]	-	-	=	+

Legend:

-�� 95-100% negative

+�� 95-100% positive

[-]�� 75% negative

[+]�� 75% positive

=�� 50% positive / negative

x�� unknown��

Table 2

	Ornithine decarboxylase	Indole	Histamine	Ethanolamine	D-Melezitose	DL-3-Hydroxybutyrate
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae	-	-	-	+	-	+
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. ozaenae	-	-	-	[-]	-	[-]
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. rhinoscleromatis	-	-	-	+	-	+
Klebsiella oxytoca	-	+	-	+	[+]	-
Klebsiella planticola	-	[+]	+	-	-	+
Klebsiella terrigena	[-]	-	+	-	+	+
Klebsiella ornithinolytica	+	+	+	-	-	+

Klebsiella pneumoniae on Mac Conkey agar

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