title: Outbreak of Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum infection in cystic fibrosis patients, France.
abstract: An increasing body of evidence indicates that nondiphtheria corynebacteria may be responsible for respiratory tract infections. We report an outbreak of Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum infection in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). To identify 18 C. pseudodiphtheriticum strains isolated from 13 French children with CF, we used molecular methods (partial rpoB gene sequencing) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Clinical symptoms were exhibited by 10 children (76.9%), including cough, rhinitis, and lung exacerbations. The results of MALDI-TOF identification matched perfectly with those obtained from molecular identification. Retrospective analysis of sputum specimens by using specific real-time PCR showed that approximately 20% of children with CF were colonized with these bacteria, whereas children who did not have CF had negative test results. Our study reemphasizes the conclusion that correctly identifying bacteria at the species level facilitates detection of an outbreak of new or emerging infections in humans.
authors.affiliation: Universite de la Mediterranée, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Fadi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bittar
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cassagne
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bosdure
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stremler
authors.forename: Jean Christophe
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dubus
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sarles
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reynaud-Gaubert
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rolain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003354:Corynebacterium Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C505805:rpoB protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases