Which statement about Klebsiella pneumonia is true?

Which statement about Klebsiella pneumonia is true?

• A. It is a gram-negative rod associated with alcoholics and current jelly sputum
• B. It is a gram-positive cocci causing community-acquired pneumonia
• C. It never causes cavitation
• D. It is primarily a viral pathogen

Answer: (A)

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative rod that classically causes pneumonia in people who abuse alcohol, often after aspiration of oropharyngeal contents. The infection tends to produce a thick, mucoid sputum described as currant jelly sputum due to the capsule that gives the sputum its viscous, reddish appearance. In alcoholics, this organism can cause a more destructive, necrotizing pneumonia and may lead to cavitation or abscess formation, which is why a statement claiming it never cavitates isn’t accurate. It is not a gram-positive cocci, nor is it primarily a viral pathogen. This combination of features—gram-negative rod, association with alcoholism and aspiration, and the distinctive currant jelly sputum—makes the statement the best choice.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram-negative rod that classically causes pneumonia in people who abuse alcohol, often after aspiration of oropharyngeal contents. The infection tends to produce a thick, mucoid sputum described as currant jelly sputum due to the capsule that gives the sputum its viscous, reddish appearance. In alcoholics, this organism can cause a more destructive, necrotizing pneumonia and may lead to cavitation or abscess formation, which is why a statement claiming it never cavitates isn’t accurate. It is not a gram-positive cocci, nor is it primarily a viral pathogen. This combination of features—gram-negative rod, association with alcoholism and aspiration, and the distinctive currant jelly sputum—makes the statement the best choice.