Does Klebsiella cause UTIs?

Klebsiella can cause urinary tract infections, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Klebsiella is one of a number of gram-negative bacteria capable of causing urinary tract infections. The most common cause of a urinary tract infection, also known as cystitis, is Escherichia coli.

Klebsiella, as well as other cystitis-causing bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Proteus, Citrobacter and Enterobacter, can be part of the normal flora in a human intestinal tract, according to the National Institutes of Health, as reported in Medical Microbiology. When such bacteria exit the intestinal tract during a bowel movement, they can come in contact with the urethral opening and migrate up the urethra into the bladder, causing an infection, says the Cleveland Clinic.