Dealing with Klebsiella pneumoniae

So, about a month ago, I had this bacterium show up in my urine culture results. Because of some other health issues I've been dealing with, I wasn't actually able to start any antibiotics until just a few days ago.
Does anyone here know much more about this specific bacterium—specifically how similar it is to E. coli—and is it generally harder to clear out? I've heard it can be incredibly stubborn, sometimes coming back and forcing you to redo the whole treatment course 😢

Also, a quick question regarding my partner. Is this bacterium dangerous for him too—meaning, am I able to pass it over to him?

Look, here's the deal... that thing falls under the Gram-negative category, just like E. coli, and since it’s basically part of the standard flora in your mouth, skin, and gut, it behaves pretty much the same way as E. coli does within the body; the reality is that it's an absolute nightmare to fully flush out of your system, much like E. coli, so you usually have to tackle it with a cocktail of antibiotics, though obviously, there's absolutely no guarantee that even that will actually clear it up for you.
As for whether you can pass it to a partner through sex, I honestly couldn't say for sure, so you should probably just look it up on Google or better yet, get a straight answer from your doctor.

swiftdrifter10 said:So, about a month ago, my urine culture came back positive for this bacteria. Because of some other health issues, I wasn't able to start antibiotics until just recently.
Does anyone know more about this specific bacteria? How similar is it to E. coli, and is it harder to clear out? I've heard it can be incredibly stubborn and prone to coming back, requiring repeated rounds of treatment. 😢

Also, a question regarding my partner. Is this bacteria dangerous for him too? Can I pass it to him?

A few years back, I dealt with Klebsiella. Believe me, recovery was a long road. We went through several different antibiotics and even had to use Gentamicin injections before we finally killed it off. To give you an idea of the process: I was getting pelvic ultrasounds and cervical swabs every 14 days. After each round, we had to switch medications because the bacteria became resistant to almost everything until we hit the Ciprofloxacin tablets. Once my cervical swab finally came back clean after four months, my doctor prescribed three more courses of Ciprofloxacin just to be safe. My partner also had to take antibiotics—I can't recall the specific name. During treatment, we used condoms exclusively, no exceptions, and made sure to wash our hands thoroughly before sex. Even now, we still follow those hygiene rules. At the time, I was terrified I wouldn't be able to have children because the infection caused severe inflammation in both my ovaries and fallopian tubes. But honestly, I feel every ovulation now, so I'm hopeful about having kids in the future.
I had a very patient gynecologist who put up with my appointments every two weeks, but I also sought a second opinion from a wonderful specialist in Chicago. Both doctors were on the same page; I actually started doubting my primary doctor because we were constantly switching treatments, but the specialist explained why that was necessary.
I hope you recover quickly. Make sure your partner gets treated too. If your gynecologist doesn't prescribe something for him, he should definitely see his own doctor. And don't forget to use condoms during sex, at least until you are both completely cleared.
Get well soon!

Man, I’ve been fighting this Klebsiella battle for like six months now. 😢

So, back in January, my husband and I decided we wanted to start trying for a baby. But first, I figured I should get checked out, so I went in for four specific swabs. Since my OBGYN is amazing, she ran everything: aerobic, anaerobic, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma, HPV, even TORCH.

All the tests came back fine except for the bacterial ones (aerobic and anaerobic)—I had Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis. That’s where the nightmare started. Based on the sensitivity report, they put me on Augmentin for 7 days. When I retested, the Klebsiella was still there in huge amounts, and even though the report still said it was sensitive to Augmentin, it clearly didn't work. So, my doctor switched me to Cephalexin (also per the report) for 7 days. After a break, I did another swab, and finally, the Klebsiella was gone, but instead I had: Enterococcus, Streptococcus, and Candida albicans. I guess I caught yeast from those heavy antibiotics, but I have no clue where the other stuff came from.

Since I also have a cyst on my left ovary that'll probably need surgery, my doctor sent me to a specialist at the hospital. He prescribed Augmentin again, but for 14 days this time. After finishing that and waiting four weeks, I tested again, and—surprise, surprise—it was Streptococcus and more Klebsiella in massive amounts. 😢

This thing is seriously stubborn. Like, if the report says it's sensitive to Augmentin, why isn't it dying after all these meds?? Just so you know, my husband took a 7-day course of Augmentin before mine, and then he finished another 14-day course too. We haven't had sex since his last round started, so I know for a fact he didn't pass it back to me.

After all that, the specialist decided I needed injections. He ordered Gentamicin for 8 days, twice a day at 120 mg. He said it's necessary because Klebsiella can be dangerous.

I just finished the treatment and did a follow-up swab last week. Now I'm just sitting here waiting for the results. Fingers crossed this beast is finally dead. 😠

A user on here, lizianthus , suggested I try some probiotic yogurt from Marine.lab. I've been drinking it for three months now. A few coworkers said it helped them with E. coli, so maybe it'll work for me too.

Also, I'd definitely suggest using condoms until you're totally cleared. You don't want to catch him, and then he catches it right back from you—that whole "ping-pong" effect is the worst. He might already be carrying it. I actually talked my man into getting a urethral swab, so we're just waiting on those results. Maybe your guy should get tested too, even though a lot of men are pretty sketched out by that kind of thing.

Good luck!

swiftdrifter10 said:Look, about a month ago, my urine culture came back positive for this bacteria. Because of some other health issues, I couldn't even start antibiotics until just recently.
Does anyone actually know anything about this specific strain? How similar is it to E. coli, and is it harder to clear out? I've heard it can be incredibly stubborn and prone to recurring, which means having to redo the whole treatment cycle.😢

Also, a question regarding my partner. Is this bacterium dangerous for him too? Can I pass it on?

Hey everyone, especially swiftdrifter10.🙂

I've already written extensively on the bladder infection and bacterial infection threads, but here I am. I've been dealing with urinary issues for the last five or six years now.
I managed to finally eradicate E. coli after three or four years, and things were quiet for maybe a year.
For the past six or seven months, I've been struggling with Klebsiella. To be clear, my issues are strictly limited to the urinary tract—nothing gynecological. I've done a lot of research, and as Olivia Fowler44 mentioned, it is terrifyingly resilient and adaptive. From what I gather, the only way to kill it is through a combination of antibiotics and urinary supplements.
So far, I've cycled through Cefaclor, Augmentin, Ciprofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Nurofen, and Omnic... Honestly, the sheer amount of medication is driving me insane.
🙂

I have definitely decided to pivot toward more alternative treatments. I refuse to let doctors keep pumping me full of antibiotics for another six years.🙂 Once I start the alternative protocols, I'll update you all on my progress. If anyone wants to discuss my specific plan, feel free to send me a private message.

Wishing you all luck in the fight. Hopefully, our next updates will be better news.😍

Does anyone know if Escherichia coli actually causes any noticeable symptoms?
My recent cervical and vaginal swab came back positive for Escherichia coli—the lab report just listed the name and noted it was an "almost pure culture"—so my OBGYN put me on Polygynax suppositories. I actually went in for the swab because my Pap smear showed some mixed flora and "reactive cellular changes associated with inflammation."

Personally, I feel like there’s more going on here—the constant itching and white discharge are driving me crazy—so I’m wondering if this bacterium is the culprit, or if I’m dealing with a yeast infection, or maybe both at once.
I've been searching everywhere for info on how Escherichia coli affects vaginal health, but I'm coming up empty.

I’ve been trying to stick to an anti-candida diet as much as possible—though I do sneak in some carbs here and there since I can't afford to lose any more weight—and I’ve been loading up on probiotics, yogurt, and plenty of garlic lately.
But honestly, it feels like I'm just tilting at windmills; nothing seems to be improving and I feel stuck in neutral.
I’m at a loss for who to turn to—I've spent so much time scouring forums and websites that my head is spinning from all the conflicting info.
I even tried treating it with Monistat, Replens, and stuff like that, but nothing works.
Sorry if this is starting to drift away from the main topic of the thread.