Chronic cystitis caused by Corynebacterium urealyticum detected by polymerase chain reaction

The case of a 73-year-old man with chronic cystitis due to Corynebacterium urealyticum was complicated by hematuria and urinary stone formation. The diagnosis was based on an amplification product obtained using polymerase chain reaction for mycobacterial species on urine and a bladder biopsy specimen. A specific 212 bp amplification fragment that did not hybridize with a Mycobacterium-specific probe was recognized. Sequence analysis of the fragment revealed Corynebacterium urealyticum. Routine urine cultures were negative, but prolonged culture on sheep blood agar led to the isolation and identification of Corynebacterium urealyticum. Identification was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction on the colonies. The patient was treated successfully with vancomycin. Integration of molecular laboratory diagnostics with conventional microbiology and pathology was synergistic for the diagnosis.