Bacteriological properties of a sucrose-fermenting Corynebacterium diphtheriae strain isolated from a case of endocarditis.
An atypical sucrose-fermenting Corynebacterium diphtheriae strain was isolated from three blood cultures of a 14-year-old girl presented to a university teaching hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She had mitral endocarditis that proved to be fatal despite intensive antibiotic therapy. Blood cultures showed a fluorescent Gram-positive, aerobic, coryneform-like bacillus presenting pyrazinamidase and CAMP reaction negative. The isolate was identified as a toxigenic strain of C. diphtheriae var. mitis by both Elek and radial immunodiffusion (RID) tests. The invasive C. diphtheriae sucrose-fermenting biotype strain adhered to glass surfaces and expressed pronounced hemagglutinating activity (titer 8), a property common among the nonfermenting biotype strains. Laboratories should be alert to the possibility of the isolation of C. diphtheriae with a positive sucrose fermentation test, especially when nontoxigenic strains are isolated from uncommon anatomic sites.
de Mattos-Guaraldi
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Departamento de Microbiologia Médica, Instituto de Microbiologia, UFRJ and Disciplina de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UERJ. Av. 28 de Setembro, 87, Fundos, 3 degrees andar. Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
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D000293:Adolescent; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D003353:Corynebacterium diphtheriae / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005285:Fermentation; D006384:Hemagglutination; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism
D013395:Sucrose