Klebsiella pneumoniae subspecies ozaenae

Background

• Found colonizing the nasopharynx of healthy people
• Putative causative organism of chronic atrophic rhinitis

Microbiology

• Subspecies of Gram-negative bacillus within the species Klebsiella pneumoniae

Clinical Manifestations

• Associated with chronic atrophic rhinitis, characterized by bone resorption and thick, foul-smelling nasal discharge that can form crusts