Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
MICROBIOLOGY
- Pleomorphic Gram-positive bacillus that is club-shaped, appears like Chinese characters on Gram stain [Fig1].
- Facultative anaerobe.
- Humans are only known hosts.
- Diphtheria caused only by exotoxin-producing strains of C. diphtheriae.
- Three Corynebacterium strains may produce diphtheria toxin:
- C. diphtheriae (epidemic diphtheria w/ person-person spread)
- C. ulcerans
- C. pseudotuberculosis
- Both C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis are less common and associated with farm/dairy contacts.
- Virulent C. diphtheria strains carry a bacteriophage with the diphtheria toxin gene. Without this bacteriophage, the microbe is unable to cause serious disease.
- Culture best performed on tellurite-selective media, e.g., Tinsdale agar.
- Confirmation of toxin production by the demonstration of an immunoprecipitation band done at CDC.
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Last updated: June 6, 2020
Citation
Auwaerter, Paul. "Corynebacterium Diphtheriae." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2020. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540144/all/Corynebacterium_diphtheriae.
Auwaerter P. Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2020. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540144/all/Corynebacterium_diphtheriae. Accessed November 29, 2023.
Auwaerter, P. (2020). Corynebacterium diphtheriae. In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540144/all/Corynebacterium_diphtheriae
Auwaerter P. Corynebacterium Diphtheriae [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2020. [cited 2023 November 29]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540144/all/Corynebacterium_diphtheriae.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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PB - The Johns Hopkins University
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