Isolation and phenotyping study of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from otitis in cats and screening their antibiotic sensitivity

Klebsiella spp. are becoming more common in companion animals, leading to a serious risk to their health and welfare and frequently having deadly consequences. The current study aims to isolate Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria from feline otitis media and to study antibiotic sensitivity and identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Fifty ear swabs from otitis (ear swabs) in cats suffering from ear infections from different private clinics in the Nineveh Governorate were collected between August and November of 2025. All samples were promptly transferred to the Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Mosul, Iraq, for microbiological processing after being placed in a sterile container. Enrichment media (blood agar and brain heart infusion agar) and selective media (MacConkey agar) were used for isolation. The suspected colony was diagnosed using Gram stain and biochemical tests and confirmed by Vitek and Render (kits that contain a group of biochemical tests). According to the findings, 28% (14/50) of the cat samples contained K. pneumoniae isolates that were positive. Additionally, the antibiotic susceptibility tests reveal complete resistance to metronidazole and amoxicillin. In contrast, it has shown complete sensitivity to ofloxacin. in conclusion, these results show the significance of k. pneumonia in the causes of otitis in cats, and also the resistance to many antibiotics that were used poses a threat to public health and society; therefore, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics should be avoided.