Cornyebacterium striatum : an Emerging Bug

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of chronic infections, with frequent exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics for repeated and prolonged hospitalizations, favors the emergence of nosocomial infection by Gram-positive bacteria, such as outbreaks of Corynebacterium striatum. Cornyebacteria are gram-positive non spore forming rods. Many species are part of the normal skin and mucosal flora of humans. The clinical significance of C. striatum has recently been established. C. striatum has recently been reported to cause a variety of infections including pneumonia, endocarditis, septic arthritis, cerebrospinal fluid infection, surgical site infections and septicemia. In this study, describing three cases of Corynebacterium striatum that are attributed to health care associated infections and presented as post-surgical wound infection and hospital acquired pneumonia. The three cases include a case of a 68 years old lady who was readmitted with fever, pain and purulent discharge from surgical wound of the lower back, a 57 years old man who was readmitted 2 months after a road traffic accident with surgical wound infection of forearm and a 25 years old man on respiratory support after a head injury with ventilator associated pneumonia.