title: A microbiological and clinical review on Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii.
abstract: The genus Corynebacterium represents a taxon of Gram-positive bacteria with a high G+C content in the genomic DNA. Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii is an unusual member of this taxon as it lacks the characteristic mycolic acids in the cell envelope. Genome sequence analysis of the C. kroppenstedtii type strain has revealed a lipophilic (lipid-requiring) lifestyle and a remarkable repertoire of carbohydrate uptake and utilization systems. Clinical isolates of C. kroppenstedtii have been obtained almost exclusively from female patients and mainly from breast abscesses and cases of granulomatous mastitis. However, the role of C. kroppenstedtii in breast pathologies remains unclear. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the taxonomy, microbiology, and microbiological identification of C. kroppenstedtii, including polyphasic phenotypic approaches, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and the use of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A clinical review presents reported cases, various antimicrobial treatments, antibiotic susceptibility assays, and antibiotic resistance genes detected during genome sequencing. C. kroppenstedtii must be considered a potential opportunistic human pathogen and should be identified accurately in clinical laboratories.
authors.affiliation: Centrum für Biotechnologie (CeBiTec), Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tauch
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León, calle Altos de Nava, s/n, 24080 León, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBIOMED), León, Spain. Electronic address: ifernandeznatal@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fernández-Natal
authors.affiliation: Public Health, School of Physiotherapy ONCE, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Soriano
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001940:Breast / Q000382:microbiology; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D003354:Corynebacterium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antibiotic resistance genes; Antimicrobial susceptibility; Breast abscess; Breast pathology; Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii; Granulomatous mastitis; Taxonomy