The Emergence of Coryneform Bacteria As a Cause of Nosocomial Infections in Compromised Hosts

Corynebacterium species that are normally abundant on the skin and mucous membranes rarely cause infections and are susceptible to most antibiotics. The report in 1976 of four cases of sepsis at the National Institutes of Health caused by a hitherto undescribed corynebacterium that is highly antibiotic resistant, but uniformly susceptible to vancomycin, alerted the medically oriented scientific community to the emergence of these organisms as a possible new cause of nosocomial infections. Although we have always performed antibiotic susceptibility tests on all microorganisms recovered from normally sterile body fluids, our first recovery of these organisms was in August 1977. Since then we have recovered 52 such strains from 39 patients, most frequently from the rectum, followed by the groin, blood, lesions and urine in order of predominance. Characterization by API 50 L strips revealed that most, but not all strains resemble the JK group of Riley et al. [1]. Cell wall studies and DNA base ratios further confirmed their status as corynebacteria. Hospital acquisition has been proved; cross infection between patients is the most likely mode of spread. Their recognition is necessary for optimal preventive and therapeutic care of patients with compromised host defenses.