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Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum isolated from relevant clinical sites of infection: a human pathogen overlooked in emerging countries
Author(s) -
Camello T.C.F.,
Souza M.C.,
Martins C.A.S.,
Damasco P.V.,
Marques E.A.,
Pimenta F.P.,
Pereira G.A.,
Hirata, Jr R.,
MattosGuaraldi A.L.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2009.02553.x
Subject(s) - erythromycin , pathogen , antimicrobial , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , clindamycin , medicine , antibiotics
Aims: To examine the occurrence of and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum among patients with bacterial infections at a teaching hospital. Methods and 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 ≤59 years old), 9·73% aged (≥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. Significance and Impact of the Study: 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.