Bacteria
Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae
Strain/Type
clinical isolates
Host tropism
Humans, animals, plants.
Route of Transmission
Transmission takes place percutaneously (through the skin).
Transmission takes place via inhalation (by breathe).
Transmission takes place orally (by ingestion).
Admission over the respiratory tract.
Microbial contaminated aerosols (bioaerosols) are inhalable due to their size and can thus get in the lung.
Admission over the mouth.
The transmission takes place due to contaminated water.
The transmission takes place due to food.
A transmission takes place by touching the mouth with dirty hands or gloves or smoking without prior thorough cleaning of the hands (smear infection).
Splash in the eyes or mucous membranes of the mouth must be considered as portal of entry.
Transmission via penetration in the deep tissues (muscle, subcutaneous fatty tissue) in the case of injury e.g. due to stab and cutting injuries with contaminated equipment.
Zoonosis (transmission between animals and humans): Yes
Even though Klebsiella pneumoniae can also be transmitted from animals to humans, such infections have previously not been classified as zoonosis.
Characteristics e.g. sensitizing or toxic effects, resistance to antibiotics
Pathogenicity
Facultative human-pathogenic (it does not necessarily cause diseases in humans).
Facultative animal-pathogenic (it does not necessarily cause diseases in animals).
Toxigenicity/Toxin formation
Aside from the lipopolysaccharide of the cell wall of Klebsiella pneumoniae, which acts as an endotoxin, any further and specific toxins of these bacteria are not yet known.
Resistances
Klebsiella pneumoniae exhibits environmental resistance, which allows it to survive for longer periods on vegetables, in refrigerated foods, on surfaces, on the skin and in other locations. However, the ability of Klebsiella pneumoniae to pick up resistances to antibiotics is of greater significance. Apart from its natural resistance to ampicillin and carbenicillin, resistances to many other penicillins and to cephalosporins may be acquired with the aid of various expanded spectrum betalactamases (ESBL). The circumstance that Klebsiella pneumoniae may also form resistances to carbapenems with the aid of special carbapenemases is a threat. If an appropriately equipped strain triggers an infection, there are scarcely any options available for an intervention with antibiotics.
Note TA:
Types of which strains are known which have been handled safely over many years in technical applications. These proven strains can therefore be assigned to risk group 1 according to the classification criteria. The "TA" tag lays no claim of completeness, however. Strains with the features of "TA" may therefore also arise in species not bearing this tag.
Note ht:
Pathogenic for humans and vertebrates, but normally no transmission between the two host groups.
Approved as biological safety measure if taken as recipient organism for genetic engineering?
Genetically modified (GenTSV)
no
Risk group (BioStoffV)
RG 2
Risk assessment
Risk accessment based on TRBA (Technical Rule for Biological Agents) 466 "Classification of prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) into risk groups": https://www.baua.de/DE/Angebote/Rechtstexte-und-Technische-Regeln/Regelwerk/TRBA/TRBA-466.html
Operation instructions (mandatory for RG2 and higher)
https://biostoffe.dguv.de/data?name=823147&lang=en
View file name Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae_BiologicalAgentDocument-823147_en.pdf height 250 View file name Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae_BiologicalAgentDocument-823147_en.pdf height 250
Occupational health care (according to ArbMedVV)
Optional health care:In the case of tasks specifically involving contact and tasks involving incidental contact with biological agents classed as Risk Group 2 under the Biological Agents Ordinance (Biostoffverordnung, BioStoffV) or which involve a comparable risk, the employer must offer an optional health care. This does not apply when on account of the risk assessment and on account of the protective measures taken it can be assumed that there is no risk of infection.
An optional health care must also be offered if as a result of the exposure to biological agents
- a serious infectious illness is to be expected and post-exposure prophylatic measures are possible, or
- an infection has resulted.
Storage location of aliquots in the Biolab (just click Bearbeiten in the right corner of the header to add or change information in the table and use the menue in the left header to e.g. add a row)
| source | bacterial strain | freezing date | amount of bacteria per vial | stock was produced on | no. of aliquots | belongs to (full name) | rack/box in N2 tank or -80°C freezer and location (room, address) | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Background
We have permission to work with this pathogen but it is currently not stored in our facilities.
