The pathogenic potential of coryneform bacteria has been underestimated

Taxonomy
Family: Corynebacteriaceae

Natural habitats
They are part of the normal biota of the skin and mucous membranes of humans, they are rarely account for clinical infection

Clinical significance
C. macginleyi has only recently reported to be exclusively isolated from ocular surfaces.
This micro-organism should be recognised as a potential cause of bacterial super infections.

Gram positive rods,

irregularly shaped (‘coryneforms”),

they are arranged as single cells, in pairs, in V forms, in palisades, or in clusters with

a so-called Chinese-letter appearance.

Club-shaped rods are observed in true members of the genus Corynebacterium only

Facultative anaerobic
Colonies are convex, smooth, and < 0.5 mm in diameter. (lipophyl)
Some strains exhibit a rose pigment which is not seen for any other lipophilic Corynebacterium species

They exhibited satellitism when grown in the presence of staphylococcal colonies, which may be suggestive of their lipophilic nature.

Lipophilic
bacteria (fat-liking bacteria) are bacteria that proliferate in lipids.

Good growth is observed with broth supplemented with 1% Tween 80

James Versalovic et al.(2011) Manual of Clinical Microbiology 10th Edition