Synonyms
Encapsulatus
Definition
Klebsiella, also called Encapsulatus, is a genus of bacteria, of the tribe Escherichieae and family Enterobacteriaceae, containing several species causing infections primarily of the respiratory tract in man and some of the lower animals (1).
Klebsiella is among the enteric bacilli included in the coliform group, characterized as fermentative Gram-negative rods that inhabit the intestinal tract and nasopharynx of man and other animals without causing disease. However, when the organisms get outside these sites they cause serious disease. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta lists the percentage of endemic hospital infections caused by Klebsiella at 8% and of epidemic outbreaks at 3% of all pathogens.
Klebsiella pneumoniae (Friedländer's bacillus) has been considered a significant respiratory pathogen since 1882. Klebsiella is a Gram-negative bacterium related to Enterobacter (formerly Aerobacter) and Serratiaorganisms which cause serious...
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References
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© 2005 Springer-Verlag
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Ratajczak, H.V. (2005). Klebsiella, Infection and Immunity. In: Vohr, HW. (eds) Encyclopedic Reference of Immunotoxicology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27806-0_859
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-27806-0_859
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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