Hemagglutinins of Klebsiella pneumoniae and K. oxytoca isolated from different sources.

482 Klebsiella pneumoniae and K. oxytoca strains isolated from different sources (human clinical material, feces of healthy subjects, sewage) were investigated for expression of MS-(mannose-sensitive) and MR/K-(mannose-resistant, Klebsiella-like) hemagglutinins. Regardless of the source of isolation, the majority of K. pneumoniae strains induced mannose-sensitive hemagglutination, but very few K. oxytoca isolates produced this type of hemagglutinin. In both species, most strains induced MR/K-hemagglutination. In general, environmental isolates showed a lesser incidence in production of each hemagglutinin and a higher percentage of non-hemagglutinating strains than fecal and clinical strains. These results suggest clinical isolates to be phenotypically more related to fecal than to environmental strains.