Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum isolated from relevant clinical sites of infection: a human pathogen overlooked in emerging countries.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the occurrence of and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum among patients with bacterial infections at a teaching hospital.


RESULTS
A total of 113 Coryne. pseudodiphtheriticum strains identified by conventional biochemical methods and API-Coryne System were recovered from patients from different age groups: 65.48% adults (18 to < or =59 years old), 9.73% aged (> or =60 years old); 14.15% infants (<18 years old); 4.42% newborns (0-7 days). Micro-organisms were mostly related to infections in the urinary (29.2%) and respiratory tracts (27.45%) and intravenous sites (18.6%). Clinical samples were obtained only from 32.7% patients (26 adults, four aged, four infants and three newborns) presenting at least one of the predisposing conditions: end-stage renal disease; renal transplant; AIDS and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection; cancer, hepatic cirrhosis; haemodialysis and catheter use. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests identified multiresistant phenotypes. Most strains (>50%) were resistant to oxacillin, erythromycin and clindamycin.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite significant differences in age and functional status of patients Coryne. pseudodiphtheriticum may be implicated as a cause of respiratory and nonrespiratory human infections.


CONCLUSIONS
Data are valuable for practitioners indicating the occurrence of multiresistant phenotypes and the possibility of severe infections due to Coryne. pseudodiphtheriticum, a pathogen usually overlooked in emerging countries.
Camello
T C F
TC
Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Souza
M C
MC
Martins
C A S
CA
Damasco
P V
PV
Marques
E A
EA
Pimenta
F P
FP
Pereira
G A
GA
Hirata
R
R
Mattos-Guaraldi
A L
AL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003354:Corynebacterium Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D055815:Young Adult
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents