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Klebsiella oxytoca Isolates in a General Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Salvador Alvarez ,
Joy A. Stinnett ,
Charles G. Shell  and
Steven L. Berk
Salvador Alvarez*
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Section, Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee
Joy A. Stinnett
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Section, Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee
Charles G. Shell
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Section, Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee
Steven L. Berk
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Section, Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Quillen-Dishner College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee
*
Infectious Disease Section, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Johnson City, TN 37684
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Abstract

Primary infections caused by Klebsiella species are uncommon, but the organism is an important nosocomial pathogen. We report the predisposing factors, clinical features and outcome of 44 hospitalized patients in whom Klebsiella oxytoca was isolated. Twenty-one (48%) isolates were community-acquired and 23 (52%) were considered nosocomial in origin. Most of the patients were elderly males with serious underlying diseases. There were significant differences between those patients who acquired Klebsiella oxytoca in the hospital and in the community. Nosocomially acquired organisms were associated with a higher mortality (52% vs. 24%) (p<0.05), a higher incidence of infection vs. colonization (83% vs. 57%) (p<0.05), and a higher percentage of cases of pneumonia (43% vs. 19%) (p<0.05). The clinical features, the hospital service and the patients' underlying diseases were similar when patients who died and those who survived were compared. Patients who died were exposed to antibiotics more often prior to the positive culture with K. oxytoca (p<0.05). K. oxytoca is a significant pathogen in hospitalized elderly patients. It is likely to cause infections, especially pneumonia, and carry a high mortality. The organism can become endemic within the hospital setting with continued carriage and nosocomial spread.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 6 , Issue 8 , August 1985 , pp. 310 - 313
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1985

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