What causes a Corynebacterium infection?
Diphtheria is an infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make toxin. Diphtheria spreads from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing. It can also spread by touching open sores or ulcers of someone with a diphtheria skin infection.
How do I get rid of Corynebacterium?
The goal is both to kill the organism and to terminate toxin production. Many antibiotics are effective, including penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, rifampin, and tetracycline; erythromycin or penicillin is the treatment of choice and is usually given for 14 days.
What kind of bacteria is Corynebacterium?
Corynebacterium (/kɔːˈraɪnəbækˌtɪəriəm, -ˈrɪn-/) is a genus of bacteria that are Gram-positive and most are aerobic. They are bacilli (rod-shaped), and in some phases of life they are, more specifically, club-shaped, which inspired the genus name (coryneform means “club-shaped”).
What does Corynebacterium do to the skin?
Background: Corynebacterium spp. are diphtheroid bacteria responsible for pitted keratolysis, a common plantar infection confined to the thick stratum corneum.
Where is Corynebacterium found in the body?
They are ubiquitous and can be found on the skin and in the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. The primary pathogen in this group is Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the etiologic agent of diphtheria. Additional corynebacteria include 45 species, 30 of which on rare occasion cause human disease.
Is Corynebacterium a normal flora?
Corynebacterium jeikeium is considered part of the normal skin flora, similar to S. epidermidis. This bacterium species resides on the skin of most humans and is commonly cultured from hospitalized patients. In particular, colonization is seen in axillary, inguinal and perineal areas.
What causes Corynebacterium minutissimum?
minutissimum is a normal inhabitant of the skin; in the setting of excess heat and moisture, however, it can pervade the intertriginous sites of the body. Other contributing factors include obesity, diabetes, hyperhidrosis, lack of hygiene, and immunosuppression.
Where is Corynebacterium found in humans?
Can Corynebacterium cause skin infection?
Erythrasma is an asymptomatic infection due to Corynebacterium minutissimum in skin flexures, most often axillae and groins. It is prevalent in diabetics. It presents as a slowly enlarging area of pink or brown dry skin.
What is rare Corynebacterium?
Abstract. Corynebacterium spp. are Gram-positive rods that are recognized to cause opportunistic diseases under certain predisposing clinical conditions. Some species have been described in urinary tract infections.
What part of the body does Corynebacterium colonize?
C. diphtheriae usually colonize a local lesion in the upper respiratory tract (although cutaneous diphtheria can occur as well) where the toxin secreted by the bacteria cases necrotic injury to epithelial cells.
Is Corynebacterium minutissimum aerobic or anaerobic?
corynebacterium minutissimum. host (organism) Corynebacterium minutissimum is a gram-positive, non–spore-forming, aerobic or facultatively anaerobic bacillus. Its most common association with human disease is the superficial skin infection erythrasma, which typically presents as reddish-brown macular patches involving the intertriginous areas.
What is Corynebacterium erythrasma?
Corynebacterium minutissimum is a gram-positive, non–spore-forming, aerobic or facultatively anaerobic bacillus. Its most common association with human disease is the superficial skin infection erythrasma, which typically presents as reddish-brown macular patches involving the intertriginous areas.
Does Corynebacterium minutissimum cause cellulitis and bacteremia?
We report a case of cellulitis and bacteremia due to C. minutissimum We discuss the treatment of C. minutissimum infection and describe the clinical settings in which isolation of Corynebacterium species from blood cultures should be considered significant
What is the treatment for Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) minutissimum bacteremia?
Our patient had none of these conditions, and thus adds to the situations in which C. minutissimum bacteremia can be seen Erythrasma has historically been treated with erythromycin (250 mg by mouth q.i.d. for 14 days).