CORYNEBACTERIUM AND OTHER NON-SPORE-
striatum
FORMING GRAM-POSITIVE RODS
Introduction
Comprises a heterogenous group of
organisms that include a genera of the
following :
1. Corynebacterium
2. Arcanobacterium
3. Rhodococcus
4. Listeria
5. Erysipelothrix
6. And others of the lesser
importance
other species :
a. C. bovis
b. C. ulcerans
- lack of urease production
- Cause of mastitis in cattle &
other domestic animals, skin
ulcers and exudative
pharyngitis, ingestion of
unpasteurized dairy products
- Produce brown halo on CTBA
- Narrow zone of B-hemolysis on
Blood Agar Plate
- NITRATE (-)
- GELATIN (+) @ room temp.
c. C. xerosis
- Normal flora of skin and
mucocutaneous sites
- Immunocompromised causing
endocarditis, bacteremia, post-
surgicak wound infections
- Grows on blood agar plate
- Formation of dry yellow-tan
colonies
d. C. jeikeium
- Part of the normal skin flora
- Limited to
immunocompromised patients
who undergone invasive
procedures, history of IV drug
abuse
- Vancomycin : susceptible
e. C. pseudodiptheriticum
- Normal flora of the
nasopharynx
- Cause of rare endocarditis
- Do not show pleomorphic
morphology and often parallel
rows
f. C. pseudotubercolosis
- associate with contact on
sheeps
- produces dermonecrotic toxin,
produces diphtheria toxin
- produces brown halo on CTBA,
small yellowish-white colonies
of BAP
- UREASE (+)
- GELATIN (-)
g. C.
- Normal flora of nasopharynx
and skin
- Cause of nosocomial infection
- Slow-growing, pleomorphic
spp., that produces small shiny
convex colonies in 24 hours
h. C. urealyticum
- Slow-growing strict aerobe
forming pinpoint,
nonhemolytic white colonies
- CATALASE (+)
- UREASE (+) following on
Christensen urea slant
- Nonfermenter
CORYNEBACTERIUM
Comprises 66 spp., 38 are considered
important
Animal and human
pathogens
Free living saprophytes
Plant pathogens
Normal flora of the skin & mucous
membrane of humans and animals
Closely related to Mycobacteria and
Nocardia
Meso-diaminopimelic acid and Mycolic
acid
slightly curved, gram (+) rods with
unparallel sides and slightly wider ends
(club-shaped/coryneform)
Diptheroid reference to this gram
staining morphology
Corynebacterium diptheriae
most significant pathogen
human is the natural host
disease in 2 forms :
1. respiratory
2. cutaneous
occurs in immunocompromised
population
carried in the upper respiratory tract
and spread by droplet
infection/hand-to-mouth contact
incubation period : 2-5 days
illness : low-grade fever, malaise,
mild sore throat
common site of infection : tonsils &
pharynx
Pseudomembrane epithelial cell
that produce toxins that cause
necrosis and inflammation
Potential for suffocation cause of
blocking of air passage
Demyelinating peripheral neuritis
effects of toxin that results to
paralysis
Gram (+), Nonsporulating bacillus
Highly pleomorphic, appers
pallisides/ V or L formation
Describes as Chinese characters
 Club-chaped swellings & beaded ARCANOBACTERIUM
forms
Babes-Ernst granules
metachromatic area which stains
are intense ; accumulation of
polymerized polyphosphate and
presence of nutrient reserves
Facultatively anaerobe
Growth : 37oC
Grows in Nutrient Agar with
blood/serum medium (Loeffler
serum/Pai Agars)
B-hemolysis (small zone ; sheep
blood agar)
Cystine-tellurite blood agar (CTBA)
modification of Tinsdale medium
in bothe Selective & Differential
medium
Elek test low iron content media ;
formation of arch
COLONY : black/brownish on CTBA
with brown halo
FERMENTATION : Glucose and
Maltose with Acid but no gas
production RHODOCOCCUS
CATALASE (+)
Reduces Nitrate to Nitrite
Non-motile
Treatment : antitoxin (produced in
horses)
Drug of choice : penicillin
A. VIRULENCE FACTOR
Diphtheria toxin
produces strains og infected of
temperate bacteriopjage that
carries tox gene ROTHIA
potent and lethal for humans
able to block protein synthesis in
eukaryotic cells
two fragments
i. Fragment A - cytotoxicity
ii. Fragment B binds receptor
on the eukaryotic cells and
mediate entry of Fragment A
into the cytoplasm
Inactivates elongation factor 2
for polypeptide ribosome
B. IDENTIFICATION OF CORYNEFORM
BACTERIA
Species level:
1. Identified normally sterile
sites particularly from
2/more blood cultures
2. Predominant organism in
properly collected clinical
material
3. Urine samples if they are the
predominant organism
Contains 3 spp. that are medically
important :
1. A. haemolyticus
CATALASE
2. A. pyogenes
(+)
3. A. bernardiae
Arcanobacterium haemolyticum
- Associated with pharyngitis,
pruritic scarlatinoform rash,
desquamation of the skin of
the hands and feet
- Produces small colonies BAP
with a narrow zone of B-
hemolysis
- Black opaque is observed
- Pitting of the agar bellow the
colony
- Gram (+) rods
- LIPASE (+)
- LECITHENASE (+)
- Reverse CAMP Test reaction
- Erythromycin : drug of choice
- Penicillin : resistant
Rhodococcus equi
- found in the soil and causes
respiratory tract infection in
animals
- immunosurpressed like in AIDS
patient
- demonstrating filaments with
branching on gram stain
- formation of salmon-pink
pigment if prolonged
incubation
Normal flora of the oropharyngeal flora
Rothia dentocariosa
- isolation in patient with
endocarditis
- Short gram (+) rods with
branching filaments that
resembles actinomycetes
- Produce coccoid celld when
place in broth
- NITRATE (+)
- Nonmotile
- UREASE (-)
 LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES
genus Listeria comprises 7 spp, only 2
considered as pathogenic
Listeriosis uncommon but serious
infection of neonates, pregnant women,
immunocompromised host
Listeria monocytogenes
- important human pathogen
- Recovered from soil, water,
vegetation and animal
products
- Production of hemolysin
- CATALASE (+)
- SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (+)
- PHOSPHOLIPASE C (+)
- HIPPURATE HYDROLYSIS (+)
- BILE ESCULIN HYDROLYSIS (+)
- CAMP Test (+) produces
blockhead hemolysis
- MOTILE @ room temp.
- B-hemolysis
- p60 (+) induces penetration
into mammalian cells
- cause of Spontaneous
abortions and stillbirth
- causes of sepsis and meningitis
on neonates
- CNS infection and endocarditis
- Cause outbreaks due to eating
contaminated food
- Gram (+) coccobacilli
- Grows on sheep blood agar,
chocolate agar, nutrient agar
and broth
- COLONY : small, round,
smooth, translucent
surrounded by narrow zone of
B-hemolysis
- Optimal growth : 30oC-35oC
- Grows on 4oC called cold
enrichment technique
- Exhibits tumbling motility on
wet mounts ; in motility
medium shows umbrella
pattern when incubated @
room temperature
Listeria ivanivii (primarily animal
pathogen)
ERYSIPELOTHRIX RHUSIOPATHIAE
The only spp. in the genus
Gram (+), nonsporeforming
pleomorphic rod that has tendency to
form long filaments
Major reservoir : swine
MOT : through cuts/scratches on the
skin
RESISTANT : pickling, salting, smoking
SURVIVES : water, soil, plant
3 types of disease :
1. Septicemia
2. Endocarditis
3. Erysipeloid
MORPHOLOGY : thin, rod-shaped, gram
(+) that may form long filaments
ARRANGEMENT : singly , short in chains
or in V-shaped
Sheep Blood Agar
- Nonhemolytic / A-hemolytic
and are pinpoint after 24 hours
- After 48 hours incubation :
1. Smaller smooth form,
transparent, glistening
and convex on edges
2. Larger rough flatter and
matte surface, irregular
edges
Laboratory Diagnosis
a. Gram stain
b. Hydrogen sulfide production
c. Lack of motility
d. INDOLE (+)
e. CATALASE (+)
f. VOGES PROSKAUER (-)
g. GELATIN stab culture test tube
brush-like @ 22oC
h. NEOMYCIN resistant
LACTOBACILLUS
Gram (+)
Higly pleomorphic bacilli
Appears cocci/spiral-shaped in gram
stain
Plays an important role on female
vaginal tract offering protection
from urogenital infections by
production of Lactic Acid
Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Majority of the lactobacilli in
the healthy vagina
- COLONY : pinpoint alpha-
hemolytic colonies on SBA to
medium-size with rough
appearance & gray color
- CATALASE (-)