What are the characteristics of this bacterium? How does it manifest itself?

Klebsiella pneumoniae  is a Gram negative bacterium belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family , very common in nature as an opportunistic microorganism, so much so that we also find it in our bodies in the intestinal tract.

It can also colonize the skin, which is why particular attention must be paid especially in the presence of wounds and burns, in order to avoid the spread of the bacterium in other parts of the body or even in the blood.

The infections caused by this bacterium draw attention not only because most of the time they are transmitted in hospitals, but also and above all because of the appearance of increasingly resistant strains to antibiotic therapy. Klebsiella pneumoniae  has a tendency to form very large colonies thanks to the external mucus polysaccharide capsule which protects them from phagocytosis and any other defense mechanism put in place by our immune system.

The infection most often affects the respiratory mucous membranes and is manifested by coughing, increased production and consistency of mucus, usually yellow. In the most serious cases, there may be a significant increase in body temperature.

When this bacterium reaches the nervous tissues, meningitis develops with convulsions and sometimes the occurrence of hallucinations due to very high fever.

How does the infection happen?

As previously described, Klebsiella pneumoniae  is quite widespread in nature, but its presence in hospitals is a matter of no small importance, above all because these are places frequented by a large number of people, often weak with an immune system that is not at its best. maximum performance. In these places the bacterium spreads quite easily causing symptoms that are mostly respiratory.

As previously mentioned, Klebsiella pneumoniae  can also infect the urinary tract, causing infections of the bladder and urethra in particular. In this case the bacterium spreads from the anus to the genital mucous membranes, when the intestinal flora becomes impoverished and is no longer able to keep it under control. As in all urinary infections, Klebsiella pneumoniae  spreads and infects the urethra and bladder, causing the typical symptoms of cystitis and urethritis, reaching the upper urinary tract if drug treatment is not performed.

Another way of access for this bacterium is certainly bladder catheters and urostomies, above all if all the rules of good clinical practice are not respected, which impose maximum hygiene to avoid the onset of infections.

What are the symptoms of Klebsiella pneumoniae in urine?

The symptoms of urinary tract infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae  are very similar to those caused by other pathogenic microorganisms. We are talking about urgency in urination, which becomes frequent especially at night, accompanied by discomfort such as burning and pain in the lower abdominal area .

These are the symptoms that are felt when this bacterium colonizes the urinary tract. It is natural that the clinical picture changes when the site of the organism attacked by the pathogen changes.

Diagnosis

As with other urinary infections, a microbiological examination of the urine with relative antibiogram is necessary for the diagnosis to also identify the appropriate pharmacological treatment to eradicate the infection.

It is a classic exam, in which the second urine in the morning is collected, and the results are usually ready within the day.

Therapy

The emergence of resistant strains makes antibiotic therapy against Klebsiella pneumoniae  quite complex. In the past, carbapenems were the main treatment for this type of infection. Over time, however, this bacterium has developed resistance to this type of antibiotic, which is no longer effective in defeating the infection.

Doctors and researchers have had to develop new therapeutic strategies to be able to cure infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae . The results obtained seem to be convincing, even if it is often necessary to proceed by combining different types of antibiotics in order to hit the bacterium in several points in order to eradicate it.

The most commonly used drugs are:

• Aminoglycosides that inhibit the protein synthesis of bacteria;
• Polymyxins which are surfactant substances that bind to the proteins of the bacterial cell wall, compromising their barrier properties to external agents;
• Fosfomycin often used in bacterial infections of the lower urinary tract ;
• Tigecycline a drug with bacteriostatic action that interferes with the protein synthesis of the bacterium.

Antibiotic resistance is a very current problem that includes many types of bacterial infections. It was caused by an inappropriate use of this type of medicine, which was often resorted to even when it was not necessary at all.

It is becoming more and more serious as doctors have fewer and fewer effective antibiotics and more and more resistant bacteria. The first advice is therefore to always consult your doctor before proceeding with self-medication , because a mistake in choosing an antibiotic can have very serious consequences.

Furthermore, a good rule to protect the urinary tract from Klebsiella pneumoniae infections is certainly to preserve the intestinal bacterial flora so that it can defend us from the attack of all other pathogenic microorganisms. It is therefore advisable to use lactic ferments in cycles during the year, especially between season changes or in conjunction with broad-spectrum antibiotic therapies.