Klebsiella aerogenes is a nosocomial, pathogenic bacterium that causes opportunistic infections of most types.

Some infections caused by K. aerogenes result from specific antibiotic treatments, venous catheter insertions, and/or surgical procedures.

It also has some commercial significance; experiments using molasses as the substrate have produced hydrogen gas.

It is an anaerobic facultative and mesophilic bacterium that can consume different sugars, and—unlike the cultivation of strict anaerobes—there is no requirement to remove all oxygen from the fermenter.

[7] Owing to diverse metabolites—acids and alcohols—produced by such a strain in conjunction with its ability to utilize different sugars, the metabolism and growth of K. aerogenes can vary significantly with the conditions.