title: The distribution of Klebsiella pneumoniae serotypes from different sources and their sensitivity to cephalosporins.
abstract: 153 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae from 16 microbiological institutes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland were typed biochemically and serologically; their sensitivities to cefoxitin, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, lamoxactam, thienamycin and gentamicin were determined. The strains could be classified into seven biotypes and 43 K-antigen types. The distribution of the K-antigen types was random, and spread over the whole spectrum of the 72 possibilities. Regional variations were not observed. 4.6% of the isolates were resistant to cefoxitin and 23% were moderately sensitive. 98% of these Klebsiella strains were sensitive to the new cephalosporins which were also effective against gentamicin-resistant isolates accounting for 12% of all isolates studied. Cefoxitin was only slightly active against such strains. The effect of a standard concentration of each agent on bacterial cultures during their growth phase was measured in the Jouan biophotometer. The beta-lactamase-stable cephalosporins had a permanent bactericidal effect on the enzyme-producing reference strain, although the latent period varied considerably in some cases. Piperacillin and cefoperazone were not bactericidal in this test.
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000941:Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000941:Antigens; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D002511:Cephalosporins; C030659:K antigens