Pasteur Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, St.-Petersburg, Russia; Medical Academy of Postgraduate Edu-cation, Kharkov, City Sanitary-Epidemiological Station, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine
Bacteriologic examination of 1589 patients showed that, aside from C.diphtheriae, 11% of acute upper respira-tory tract infections were caused by other Corynebacterium species. Such bacteria can cause infections of vari-ous localizations (bronchitis, pyelonephritis, urethritis, colpitis, dermatitis, arthritis, etc.). C.pseudodiphtheriticum and C.xerosis were isolated from clinical specimens most frequently. Corynebacterium spp. have adhesive, hemolytic, hemagglutinating, and neuraminidase activity; some of them are highly pathogenic. The most virulent, were following species: C.diphtheriae, C.pseudotuberculosis, C.urealyticum, and C.ulcerans. Corynebacterium non diphtheriae were frequently isolated from clinical specimens in association with staphylococci and strepto-cocci. In such cases, factors of pathogenicity and resistance to antibiotics were more pronounced. Strains isolated with association with other bacteria have lost susceptibility to tetracycline, oleandomycin, penicillin, and erythro-mycin. It is important to be vigilant about bacteria from Corynebacterium genus in clinical settings, and thoroughly study their biologic characteristics, especially in immunocompromised patients.
Zh. Microbiol. (Moscow), 2007, No. 5, P. 3—7