Corynebacterium pseudodiphteriticum

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Gram stain Culture

General information
- The pathogenic potential of coryneform bacteria has been underestimated
  
  Taxonomy
  Family: Corynebacteriaceae
  
  Natural habitats
  They are part of the normal oropharyngeal flora.
  
  Clinical significance
  C. pseudodiphteriticum is part of the oropharyngeal microbiome.
  This species has been documented to cause pneumonia in various patient populations, including causing a outbreak among cystic fibrosis patients.
  Other infections attributed to this agent include UTIs, wounds, endocarditis, and skin ulcers.
  
  Most of the respiratory disease occurred in immunosuppressed hosts.
Gram stain
- 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
Culture characteristics
- Obligate aerobic
  
  BA: colonies are whitish, and slightly dry, entire edges and 1 to 2 mm after 48 hours of incubation.
  
  McConkey: no growth
  
  BBAØ: no growth
Characteristics
References
- James Versalovic et al.(2011) Manual of Clinical Microbiology 10th Edition