Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors of Corynebacterium striatum Infection in Normally Sterile Body Fluids and...

Corynebacterium striatum (C. striatum) is an emerging opportunistic pathogen. Its role in pathogenicity can be difficult to determine and requires careful analysis of laboratory results and clinical symptoms. This research aims to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of C. striatum infection in normally sterile body fluids and urine.

A retrospective study was conducted in the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College in China. The study included 50 patients infected with C. striatum and 70 cases with non-C. striatum infections from January 2018 to December 2023. Clinical data were analyzed, and independent risk factors for C. striatum infection were identified using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression.

Patients in the C. striatum group were primarily distributed in the intensive care unit (ICU), neurosurgery, and nephrology departments. Most had a history of severe underlying diseases (80%), invasive procedures (84%), and antibiotic use (74%). The highest detection rate of C. striatum was 0.45% in 2018. Compared with the non-C. striatum infection group, the C. striatum infection group showed a longer duration of invasive procedures, more days of antibiotic use, and a higher number of antibiotics used (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis identified them as independent risk factors for C. striatum infection in normally sterile body fluids and urine.

Patients with severe conditions requiring multiple invasive procedures and prolonged treatment with multiple antibiotics may be more susceptible to C. striatum infection in normally sterile body fluids and urine. Clinicians should be aware of these risk factors to help prevent and manage C. striatum infections more effectively.