Pneumonia caused by Corynebacterium pseudodiphteriticum, an entity worth knowing

• Published in: Anales de medicina interna (Madrid, Spain : 1984) Vol. 19; no. 9; pp. 463 - 465
• Main Authors: Aspiroz Sancho, C, Agustín Berne, A, Navarro Pardos, C, Sañudo Blasco, B, Teller Justes, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Spain 01.09.2002
• Subjects: Aged; Corynebacterium - drug effects; Corynebacterium Infections - complications; Corynebacterium Infections - diagnosis; Corynebacterium Infections - drug therapy; Cross Infection - complications; Cross Infection - diagnosis; Cross Infection - drug therapy; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Humans; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Pneumonia, Bacterial - complications; Pneumonia, Bacterial - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Bacterial - drug therapy; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - complications
• ISSN: 0212-7199

Respiratory infections are challenging for clinicians and new microbes or those considered previously as normal flora or less virulent forms seen responsible for some cases. Thus, the case reported here is a nosocomial pneumonia caused by Corynebacterium pseudodiphteriticum in a man suffering chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and resolved with cefotaxime. This microorganism is part of the oropharingeal bacterial flora and is therefore associated mainly with respiratory disease an less commonly with endocarditis, prostheses or wound infections. Susceptibility testing found uniform susceptibility to b-lactamases, aminoglycosides, rifampin and tetracycline. Susceptibility to ciprofloxacine is variable and resistance to macrolides (erythromycin and clindamycin) was frequent.