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Recommended Test Panel for Differentiation of Klebsiella Species on the Basis of a Trilateral Interlaboratory Evaluation of 18 Biochemical Tests

The International Escherichia and Klebsiella Reference Centre (WHO), Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark,¹ Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale, London, England,² National Reference Laboratory for Klebsiella Species, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Kiel, Germany³

Received 22 October 2003/ Returned for modification 6 February 2004/ Accepted 20 April 2004

Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella oxytoca are the two most frequently encountered Klebsiella species giving rise to infections in humans, but other Klebsiella species can also be found in clinical specimens: Klebsiella ozaenae, Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis, Klebsiella terrigena, Klebsiella planticola, Klebsiella ornithinolytica, and Enterobacter aerogenes (Klebsiella mobilis). However, many of these species are indistinguishable by the conventional methods employed routinely in the clinical microbiological laboratory. Several investigators have suggested various additional tests, but as yet there is no standardized test panel for identifying all Klebsiella species and subspecies. In the present study, performed in three national Klebsiella reference laboratories, we have evaluated a test panel consisting of 18 biochemical tests on 242 strains comprising all Klebsiella species and subspecies. The test panel was designed to identify organisms preliminarily identified as belonging to the genus Klebsiella on the basis of conventional methods or automated identification systems. With the described test panel it is possible to find one or more positive test results differentiating any Klebsiella species, except Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis, from its closest relative.

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