Walsh & Hoyt: BACTERIA AND BACTERIAL DISEASES - Empyema

Most infections caused by Klebsiella affect the respiratory tract, although the organisms also may cause urinary tract, biliary tract, and surgical wound infections. Infections of the CNS caused by Klebsiella are unusual and are usually associated withbacteremia. Nevertheless, K. pneumoniae and other species of Klebsiella are occasionally cultured, either as a single isolate or as part of a polymicrobial infection, from some brain abscesses or empyemas (40,41,43, 44,46,49,51,143,1644) and are among the most common gram-negative organisms isolated (47,166,1645,1646). Infection with K. pneumoniae has followed craniotomy for malignant tumor (35); Klebsiella abscess has been reported to mimic tumor on CT scanning, being diagnosed correctly only at craniotomy (777,1647).