Clinical significance of Corynebacterium striatum isolated from human samples

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical significance of and describe factors associated with Corynebacterium striatum infection. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of the C. striatum isolated in a university hospital from January 1991 to July 1995. C. striatum was identified using conventional methods, the API CORYNE system and cellular fatty acid profiles. RESULTS: In the study period, C. striatum was isolated from clinical samples in 127 patients. In 49 patients, data from clinical charts were considered insufficient for evaluation. In 26 cases, the microorganism was considered to be the etiologic agent of an infectious process. In the remaining 52 patients, the organism was considered to be a colonizer. Before the infection all the patients had been hospitalized for some underlying condition, and 22 (85%) of them had received antibiotics previously. Six patients died. In two of them, death was a consequence of their underlying disease and in the remaining four, death was related to the C. striatum infection. CONCLUSIONS: C. striatum, a microorganism traditionally considered to be an avirulent member of the normal human nasopharyngeal and skin flora, may opportunistically cause infections in hospitalized patients with underlying diseases and previous antibiotic treatments.