Comparative investigation of klebsiella clinical isolates including klebsiella planticola and klebsiella terrigena

ABSTRACT

Ninety-one Klebsiella clinical isolates were classified into Klebsiella pneumoniae [25], Klebsiella ozanae [21], Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis [1], Klebsiella oxytoca [26], Klebsiella planticola [7] and Klebsiella terrigena [11], using differentiating biochemical tests. The susceptibility of these isolates to 18 chemotherapeutic antimicrobial agents was tested. Most of the isolates were resistant to ampicillin, carbenicillin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, streptomycin and contrimoxazole. Some of the strains were resistant to as many as 15 antimicrobial agents including third generation cephalosporins. On the contrary, all the isolates were sensitive to ofloxacin. The pattern of antibiotic resistance and beta lactamase production by K. planticola and K. terrigena isolates was determined. Heterogeneous resistance patterns were obtained. Both the rate of conjugation and the pattern of antibiotic resistance of transconjugants were evaluated