What is klebsiella uti

This is an infection that causes inflammation in the white of your eye. Often, K. This can cause a pyogenic liver abscess , or a pus-filled lesion. In primary bacteremia, K. In secondary bacteremia, K. One study estimates about 50 percent of Klebsiella blood infections originate from Klebsiella infection in the lungs. Bacteremia needs to be treated immediately. If left untreated, bacteremia can become life threatening and turn into sepsis. Bacteremia is a medical emergency.

Go to the nearest emergency room or call or your local emergency services if you suspect you might have it. It will also lower your risk of life-threatening complications. However, the bacteria can be difficult to treat. Some strains are highly resistant to antibiotics. If you have a drug-resistant infection, your doctor will order lab tests to determine which antibiotic will work best. If you stop taking antibiotics too soon, the infection might come back.

You should see your doctor if you notice any sign of infection. You can book an appointment with a primary care provider in your area using our Healthline FindCare tool. Since K. They should also wash their hands after touching hospital surfaces.

In some cases, the infection can cause lasting effects. For example, Klebsiella pneumonia may permanently impair lung function. The bacteria live in your intestines and feces, but they can be dangerous in other parts of your body.

Klebsiella can cause severe infections in your lungs, bladder, brain, liver, eyes, blood, and wounds. Your symptoms depend on the type of infection. The infection spreads through person-to-person contact. If you get K. Some strains are resistant to drugs, but your doctor can determine which antibiotic will work best. If clinically feasible, initiation of antimicrobial therapy should be delayed until urine culture results are available.

Parenteral antimicrobial therapy is indicated if patients are unable to tolerate oral therapy, have impaired gastrointestinal absorption, have hemodynamic instability, or if the infecting organism is known or suspected to be resistant to oral agents. The duration of therapy should be seven days for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms, and 10 to 14 days for patients with upper urinary tract symptoms or sepsis syndrome. Patients with chronic use of urologic devices should receive the shortest possible duration of therapy to limit antimicrobial pressure leading to resistance.

Suppressive antimicrobial therapy is indicated to prevent frequent, recurrent infection for selected patients with persistent genitourinary abnormalities. For young women with catheter-acquired UTIs, treatment of bacteriuria persisting 48 hours after catheter removal may beconsidered. Information from reference 6.

There are no clear guidelines for referral of patients with recurrent or complicated UTIs. Most patients with recurrent uncomplicated UTIs can be treated by family physicians. Patients with complicated UTIs may require consultation from subspecialists in urology, infectious disease, or renal medicine. Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. At the time this article was written, Dr. Address correspondence to Charles M. Reprints are not available from the authors.

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Residual urine in an elderly female population: novel implications for oral estrogen replacement and impact on recurrent urinary tract infection. J Urol. Neal DE Jr. Complicated urinary tract infections. Urol Clin North Am. Bogart LM, et al. Symptoms of interstitial cystitis, painful bladder syndrome and similar diseases in women [published correction appears in J Urol.

Bent S, et al. McIsaac WJ, et al. Validation of a decision aid to assist physicians in reducing unnecessary antibiotic drug use for acute cystitis. Arch Intern Med. Stamm WE, et al. Diagnosis of coliform infection in acutely dysuric women.

N Engl J Med. Hooton TM, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection. Infect Dis Clin North Am. Warren JW, et al. Guidelines for antimicrobial treatment of uncomplicated acute bacterial cystitis and acute pyelonephritis in women. Drekonja DM, et al. Urinary tract infections. Prim Care. Albert X, et al. Antibiotics for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection in non-pregnant women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Sen A. Recurrent cystitis in non-pregnant women. Clin Evid.

Schaeffer AJ, et al. Efficacy and safety of self-start therapy in women with recurrent urinary tract infections. Gupta K, et al. Patient-initiated treatment of uncomplicated recurrent urinary tract infections in young women. Ann Intern Med. Jepson RG, et al. Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Sheffield JS, et al. Urinary tract infection in women. Kontiokari T, et al. Randomised trial of cranberry-lingonberry juice and Lactobacillus GG drink for the prevention of urinary tract infections in women.

A controlled trial of intravaginal estriol in postmenopausal women with recurrent urinary tract infections. Perrotta C, et al.

Oestrogens for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection in postmenopausal women. This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP. These bacteria produce enzymes called Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases KPC , which render the antibiotics ineffective.

The other is carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli E. But like klebsiella, when it gets into the respiratory tract, bloodstream, or urinary tract, it can cause dangerous and even deadly infections.

The CDC provides all the information you need about what causes klebsiella infections, how it is spread, treatment, and what you can do to prevent infection. GARD is another great resource to learn all the facts about Klebsiella pneumoniae infections. You can also access a database of clinical trials that are related to klebsiella and read the descriptions of each study. Make sure to talk to your healthcare provider before choosing to participate in a clinical study.

Additional reporting by Joseph Bennington-Castro. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Health Topics. Health Tools. Reviewed: November 18, Medically Reviewed. Most cases of K. The symptoms of a K. Bloodstream infections bacteremia and sepsis from klebsiella can cause fever, chills, fatigue, light-headedness, and altered mental states. People who have weakened immune systems, or sick or injured people who are undergoing procedures for various health issues, are more likely to get a K.

Infections can also occur through the use of contaminated medical equipment. For example, people on ventilators can contract Klebsiella pneumonia if breathing tubes are contaminated with the bacteria.

Similarly, the use of contaminated intravenous catheters can lead to bloodstream infections. Imaging tests, such as ultrasounds, X-rays, and CT scans , may also help your doctor with the diagnosis. For example, pneumonia caused by klebsiella typically leads to certain changes in the lungs visible on a chest X-ray , like haziness or nodules that might involve an entire lobe of a lung or lining of the lung.

Along with the blood tests most commonly used to identify the klebsiella infection, your doctor will also order susceptibility tests, or sensitivity analyses, to determine which antibiotics are likely to be effective at treating the infection.

Typically, the earlier the diagnosis and treatment, the better the outcome. These hardy, high-threat-level microbes are part of a group called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae , or CRE. To treat CRE , doctors rely on several powerful antibiotics that still have some effectiveness against the bacteria, particularly when used in combination, according to a report published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

The CDC has guidelines for healthcare providers to reduce risk of hospital-acquired infection like klebsiella. Safety measures include frequent hand-washing and use of hand sanitizer, as well as the wearing of gloves and gowns to enter the rooms of patients who have klebsiella-related illnesses.