Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “CORYNEBACTERIUM”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Chemical studies as a guide to the classification of Corynebacterium pyogenes and "Corynebacterium haemolyticum".

The peptidoglycan of Corynebacterium pyogenes and "Corynebacterium haemolyticum" contained lysine as the dibasic amino acid. In addition, glutamic acid and alanine were detected in the hydrolysates. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis of whole-organism methanolysates of C. pyogenes and "C. haemolyticum" revealed the presence of single spots corresponding to simple non-hydroxylated fatty acid methyl esters. The major fatty acid structural types were straight-chain and monounsaturated acids. Menaquinones (vitamin K) were the sole respiratory quinones detected in C. pyogenes and "C. haemolyticum". The major menaquinone components in C. pyogenes were tetrahydrogenated with ten isoprene units. Tetrahydrogenated menaquinones with nine isoprene units, however, predominated in "C. haemolyticum". The results of the present study indicate that C. pyogenes should be excluded from the genus Corynebacterium: C. pyogenes can be accommodated in the genus Actinomyces but the taxonomic position of "C.haemolyticum " remains equivocal.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Phospholipid composition of several clinically relevant Corynebacterium species as determined by mass spectrometry: an unusual fatty acyl moiety is present in inositol-containing phospholipids of Corynebacterium urealyticum.

A comparative study on phospholipids of Corynebacterium amycolatum, Corynebacterium jeikeium and Corynebacterium urealyticum was carried out using fast-atom bombardment (FAB) and electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. Data obtained indicate the presence of acylphosphatidylglycerol (APG), diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and triacylphosphatidylinositol dimannosides (Ac(3)PIM(2)) in these bacteria. In general, octadecenoyl and hexadecanoyl fatty acyl moieties predominated in phospholipids of C. amycolatum, whereas high levels of hexadecenoyl were found in C. jeikeium and C. urealyticum. Mass spectra from purified APG and PG indicated that the sn-1 position of the glycerol was occupied by octadecenoyl in the three species studied. Notably, several major molecular species of PI and Ac(3)PIM(2) from C. urealyticum contained significant amounts of a moiety identified as 10-methyleneoctadecanoyl, located at the sn-1 position of these molecules. On the other hand, multiantibiotic resistant and susceptible strains of C. amycolatum differed in several minor phospholipid fatty acids of 19 carbon atoms, identified as 10-methyloctadecenoic, 10-methyloctadecanoic (tuberculostearic acid) and 10-methyleneoctadecanoic. The results demonstrate an overall similarity among the phospholipids of the different species studied but also significant differences related to the acyl chains of the glycerol moiety of these compounds, notably the high levels of an unusual fatty acyl moiety in inositol-containing phospholipids of C. urealyticum.

Corynebacterium↗

PorH, a new channel-forming protein present in the cell wall of Corynebacterium efficiens and Corynebacterium callunae.

Corynebacterium callunae and Corynebacterium efficiens are close relatives of the glutamate-producing mycolata species Corynebacterium glutamicum. The properties of the pore-forming proteins, extracted by organic solvents, were studied. The cell extracts contained channel-forming proteins that formed ion-permeable channels with a single-channel conductance of about 2 to 3 nS in 1 M KCl in a lipid bilayer assay. The corresponding proteins from both corynebacteria were purified to homogeneity and were named PorH(C.call) and PorH(C.eff). Electrophysiological studies of the channels suggested that they are wide and water-filled. Channels formed by PorH(C.call) are cation-selective, whereas PorH(C.eff) forms slightly anion-selective channels. Both proteins were partially sequenced. A multiple sequence alignment search within the known chromosome of C. efficiens demonstrated that it contains a gene that fits the partial amino acid sequence of PorH(C.eff). PorH(C.call) shows high homology to PorH(C.eff). PorH(C.eff) is encoded in the bacterial chromosome by a gene that is localized within the vicinity of the porA gene of C. efficiens. PorH(C.eff) has no signal sequence at the N terminus, which means that it is not exported by the Sec-secretion pathway. The structure of PorH in the cell wall of the corynebacteria is discussed.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗

Molecular epidemiology and characteristics of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans strains isolated in Italy during the 1990s.

Five cases of diphtheria were reported in Italy between January 1990 and June 2001. Three cases were confirmed microbiologically by the isolation of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae (two cases) and Corynebacterium ulcerans (one case). Over the same period, 11 cases of non-toxigenic C. diphtheriae infection were reported to the Italian Public Health Institute, from which the causative organism was isolated from a skin infection in one case and from the throat in the other ten. Seven of the throat isolates were associated with fever, severe pharyngitis and tonsillitis and were all biotype gravis. Because there are no standardized breakpoints, the antimicrobial sensitivities of C. diphtheriae were determined in accordance with the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards guidelines for Streptococcus spp. other than Streptococcus pneumoniae. MICs for penicillin ranged between 0.125 and 0.250 mg l(-1) and 7 out of 11 strains had a minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC)/MIC ratio >or= 32. All strains were sensitive to clindamycin (MIC <or= 0.25 mg l(-1)), rifampicin (MIC <or= 1 mg l(-1)) and tetracycline (MIC <or= 2 mg l(-1)), and showed moderate susceptibility to cefotaxime (MIC 0.75-1.5 mg l(-1)). Molecular typing (ribotyping) demonstrated the presence of several distinct ribotypes. The ribotype designated 'D11' has been documented amongst strains isolated in the UK, Russia, Germany, Romania and Sweden. Ribotype 'D75' has only been documented in the UK. The C. ulcerans strain had a ribotype pattern identical to that found in recent isolates from the UK.

Colony Count, Microbial↗

Misidentification of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae as a Corynebacterium species with low virulence in a child with endocarditis.

A 6-year-old boy presented to a university hospital in Malaysia with infective endocarditis complicating cyanotic congenital heart disease. Blood cultures showed a gram-positive, aerobic, coryneform-like bacillus identified by the hospital laboratory as Corynebacterium xerosis, but a reference laboratory identified the organism as a toxigenic strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The two laboratories concurred on all biochemical test results except for sucrose fermentation.

Child↗

Human clinical isolates of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans collected in Canada from 1999 to 2003 but not fitting reporting criteria for cases of diphtheria.

A 5-year collection of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans human clinical isolates yielded nine isolates from blood cultures of patients with invasive infections, stressing the importance of C. diphtheriae as a serious blood-borne pathogen. Seven percent of C. diphtheriae and 100% of C. ulcerans isolates produced diphtheria toxin, demonstrating that toxigenic corynebacteria continue to circulate.

Bacteremia↗

Corynebacterium striatum meningitis: case report and review of an increasingly important Corynebacterium species.

For a long time, corynebacteria were considered simple cutaneous contaminants with little potential pathogenicity. Corynebacterium striatum is a known saprophytic cutaneous bacterium; however, in the last decade, this organism has been increasingly recognized as a pathogen. It has been mostly implicated in respiratory tract and blood infections. To our knowledge, we report the first case of meningitis due to C. striatum. Treatment with intravenous vancomycin resulted in therapeutic success. We also thoroughly review all previously reported cases of C. striatum infection. Identification of Corynebacterium species can be difficult because of rapid taxonomic changes, and susceptibility testing for these microorganisms is not yet standardized. However, because of their growing clinical importance, data on these bacteria are accumulating.

Adult↗

Corynebacterium thomssenii sp. nov., a Corynebacterium with N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase activity from human clinical specimens.

A strain of a previously undescribed non-lipophilic coryneform bacterium was isolated from pleural fluids of a patient with chronic renal failure, stroke and pneumonia. Slow fermentative acid production from glucose, maltose and sucrose, and strong N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase activity were the most characteristic features of the bacterium. Chemotaxonomic characterization unambiguously indicated that the organism belonged to the genus Corynebacterium. The results of comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the isolate represented a new species within the genus, for which the name Corynebacterium thomssenii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DSM 44276.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

The tetAB genes of the Corynebacterium striatum R-plasmid pTP10 encode an ABC transporter and confer tetracycline, oxytetracycline and oxacillin resistance in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

The tetracycline resistance region of the 50-kb R-plasmid pTP10 from the clinical isolate Corynebacterium striatum M82B was analyzed in Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 and confined to a 4.4-kb SphI-Sa/I DNA fragment. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed two open reading frames, termed tetA and tetB, specifying proteins of 513 and 528 amino acids, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of tetAB displayed similarity to ATP-binding cassette transporters including StrV and StrW of Streptomyces glaucescens which are proposed to play a role in the export of streptomycin-like aminoglycosides. An antibiotic susceptibility screening in C. glutamicum showed that the tetAB genes confer resistance to tetracycline, oxytetracycline and to the structurally and functionally unrelated beta-lactam antibiotic oxacillin.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

Relationship between mutations in the gyrA gene and quinolone resistance in clinical isolates of Corynebacterium striatum and Corynebacterium amycolatum.

Quinolone susceptibility was analyzed in 17 clinical isolates of Corynebacterium striatum and 9 strains of Corynebacterium amycolatum by the E-test method in Mueller-Hinton agar plates. The C. striatum ATCC 6940 strain was used as a control strain. The amplified quinolone resistance determining regions of the gyrA genes of C. amycolatum and C. striatum were characterized. Four in vitro quinolone-resistant mutants of C. amycolatum were selected and analyzed. Both in vivo and in vitro quinolone-resistant strains of C. amycolatum showed high levels of fluoroquinolone resistance in strains with a double mutation leading to an amino acid change in positions 87 and 91 or positions 87 and 88 (unusual mutation) of GyrA, whereas the same concomitant mutations at amino acid positions 87 and 91 in GyrA of C. striatum produced high levels of resistance to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin but only showed a moderate increase in the MIC of moxifloxacin, suggesting that other mechanism(s) of quinolone resistance could be involved in moxifloxacin resistance in C. amycolatum. Moreover, a PCR-RFLP-NcoI of the gyrA gene was developed to distinguish between C. amycolatum and C. striatum species.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

In vitro and in vivo study of stone formation by Corynebacterium group D2 (Corynebacterium urealyticum).

Corynebacterium group D2 inoculated into normal human urine formed struvite crystals and an increase in pH and ammonium concentration after 24 h of incubation. Zinc disks dipped into a broth culture of this microorganism and inserted into the bladders of rats produced stones with a mean weight of 12.5 mg (ranging from 1 to 57.7 mg) after 12 days. Analysis of the infrared spectrum determined the stones to be composed of struvite. From these results its seems that stone formation by Corynebacterium group D2 may be possible both in vitro and in vivo, which may confirm a previous report involving these bacteria in human clinical encrusted cystitis.

Animals↗

Diversity within reference strains of Corynebacterium matruchotii includes Corynebacterium durum and a novel organism.

Corynebacterium matruchotii has been the subject of numerous dental pathogenesis studies. The purpose of the present study was to resolve concerns about diversity within the reference strains of C. matruchotii through analysis of seven strains procured from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). Analysis of whole-cell fatty acid profiles with the library generation software of Microbial ID Inc. revealed that three types of organisms have been deposited in the ATCC as C. matruchotii. These three groups of organisms were also distinguishable by DNA-DNA dot blot hybridization, by sequences of two hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene, and by the pyrrolidonyl arylamidase test. These studies indicate that two C. matruchotii reference strains, ATCC 33449 and ATCC 33822, are members of the recently proposed species, Corynebacterium durum. The colonial morphology and biochemical reactions of the C. durum strains are more diverse than originally reported. Strain ATCC 43833 is unique and represents a novel species. In addition to the type strain, ATCC 14266, true members of the species C. matruchotii include ATCC strains 14265, 33806, and 43832 plus two reference strains, L2 and Richardson 13, which comprise the vast majority of strains used in dental pathogenesis research with this species.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Deoxyribonucleic acids of Corynebacterium genitalium and Corynebacterium pseudogenitalium: their genome molecular weights, base ratios, and DNA relatedness with other corynebacteria involved in urinary tract infections.

Chromosomal deoxyribonucleic acids of Corynebacterium genitalium and Corynebacterium pseudogenitalium were isolated and analysed spectrophotometrically. Their genome molecular weights ranged from 1.1 X 10(9) to 1.6 X 10(9). The guanine-plus-cytosine content of C. genitalium ranged from 60.0 to 63.3%, whereas that of C. pseudogenitalium ranged from 56.1 to 58.7%. Five strains of C. genitalium showed relatively low levels of DNA relatedness to each other ranging from 35 to 64%. In contrast, most strains of C. pseudogenitalium showed high levels of DNA relatedness to each other ranging from 71 to 89%. Selected strains of C. genitalium and C. pseudogenitalium showed low levels of DNA relatedness (49 to 60%) to other corynebacterial species involved in urinary tract infection. Data obtained in this study indicate that all strains of C. genitalium consist of genetically divergent organisms while the most strains of C. pseudogenitalium belong to a single species.

Base Composition↗

The cytosolic, cell surface and extracellular proteomes of the biotechnologically important soil bacterium Corynebacterium efficiens YS-314 in comparison to those of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032.

Reference maps of the cytosolic, cell surface and extracellular proteome fractions of the amino acid-producing soil bacterium Corynebacterium efficiens YS-314 were established. The analysis window covers a pI range from 3 to 7 along with a molecular mass range from 10 to 130 kDa. After second-dimensional separation on SDS-PAGE and Coomassie staining, computational analysis detected 635 protein spots in the cytosolic proteome fraction, whereas 76 and 102 spots were detected in the cell surface and extracellular proteomes, respectively. By means of MALDI-TOF-MS and tryptic peptide mass fingerprinting, 164 cytosolic proteins, 49 proteins of the cell surface and 89 extracellular protein spots were identified, representing in total 177 different proteins. Additionally, reference maps of the three cellular proteome fractions of the close phylogenetic relative Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 were generated and used for comparative proteomics. Classification according to the Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins scheme and abundance analysis of the identified proteins revealed species-specific differences. The high abundance of molecular chaperones and amino acid biosynthesis enzymes in C. efficiens points to environmental adaptations of this recently discovered amino acid-producing bacterium.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Multiresistant corynebacteria in bacteriuria: a comparative study of the role of Corynebacterium group D2 and Corynebacterium jeikeium.

During an 11-month prospective study, urine cultures were performed on 5685 samples obtained in three hospital units. The use of a selective medium improved the recovery of antibiotic-multiresistant corynebacteria (AMC): 703 isolates (12.4%) compared with 88 isolates (1.6%) on sheep blood agar. Corynebacterium group D2 (CGD2) was isolated in 80.5% of urines yielding greater than or equal to 10(5) AMC ml-1 whereas Corynebacterium jeikeium represented 80.2% of isolates with less than 10(5) AMC ml-1. Among 16 patients with greater than or equal to 10(5) ml-1 C. jeikeium none had signs of urinary tract infection. In contrast, among 56 patients with greater than or equal to 10(5) CGD2, 40 (71%) had abnormal urinary sediment (mainly apatite or struvite crystals) and 29 (52%) had clinical signs of urinary tract infections sometimes complicated by lithiasis (seven cases) and alkaline-encrusted cystitis (two cases).

Anti-Infective Agents, Urinary↗

Description of Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum sp. nov., a leprosy-derived Corynebacterium.

Leprosy-derived corynebacteria (LDC) have been extensively studied over the past decade. A composite of their biological properties (cell morphology, staining reactions, cellular inclusions and guanine-plus-cytosine content of their deoxyribonucleic acid; 16 strains studied) and their chemical structures (peptidoglycan type, major cell wall polysaccharide, major glycolipid as well as characteristic mycolic acids) appears to define them as members of the genus Corynebacterium. In relation to other corynebacteria found in humans, including "JK corynebacteria", they seem to be distinct. They are here named Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum sp. nov. because they produce a 10-methyloctadecanoic (tuberculostearic) acid (8 strains studied). This and some of their other attributes are considered in relation to properties of leprosy bacilli and Mycobacterium leprae.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Corynebacterium singulare sp. nov., a new species for urease-positive strains related to Corynebacterium minutissimum.

We studied two coryneform strains from clinical specimens. These strains had type IV and corynemycolic acids in their cell walls and also had phenotypic characteristics, such as urease activity and fermentation of glucose and sucrose but not trehalose, which did not permit assignment to any previously recognized taxon. According to DNA-DNA hybridization data, these two strains are members of the same species (level of DNA similarity, 86%). Phylogenetic analysis based on comparisons of almost complete small-subunit ribosomal DNA sequences revealed that these strains are closely related to Corynebacterium minutissimum, but DNA relatedness experiments clearly showed that they constitute a distinct new species with a level of DNA relatedness to the C. minutissimum type strain of less than 40%. This new species can be differentiated from C. minutissimum strains by its enzymatic activities and carbon source utilization, and the name Corynebacterium singulare is proposed for it. The type strain is strain IBS B52218 (= CCUG 37330), which was isolated from a semen specimen.

Base Composition↗

The specificity of enzymes adding amino acids in the synthesis of the peptidoglycan precursors of Corynebacterium poinsettiae and Corynebacterium insidiosum.

A soluble extract from Corynebacterium poinsettiae able to synthesize the nucleotide precursor of ite peptidoglycan was prepared. This extract contained all the enzymes necessary for the synthesis of the peptide side-chain. The spedificity of these enzymes was determined and compared with the specificity of similar enzymes extracted from the closely related Corynebacterium insidiosum. In both organsims, addition of the third amino acid of the peptide side-chain was specific for the amino acid and nucleotide dipeptide involved in peptidoglycan synthesis in the parent organism. L-Diaminobutyric acid, which is found as the acetyl derivative in the precursor nucleotide and in the completed peptidoglycan of C. insidiosum, was added as the free amino acid and not as the acetylated compound.

Alanine↗