SPECIES IDENTITIES AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITIES OF CORYNEBACTERIA ISOLATED FROM VARIOUS CLINICAL SOURCES

Over a 14-month period, 415 clinical isolates of coryneform gram-posit ive rods were recovered from various sources and identified to the spe cies level according to recent identification schemes. Corynebacterium urealyticum, Corynebacterium striatum, Corynebacterium amycolatum, an d Corynebacterium jeikeium predominated, accounting for 63% of all iso lates. Corynebacterium accolens, Corynebacterium striatum, Corynebacte rium argentoratense, Corynebacterium propinquum and Corynebacterium ps eudodiphtheriticum were mostly recovered from the respiratory tract, w hereas Corynebacterium afermentans, CDC group G, and Corynebacterium j eikeium were mainly isolated from blood. None of the isolates was iden tified as Corynebacterium diphtheriae or Corynebacterium I xerosis. Am picillin resistance was detected in Corynebacterium jeikeium (96%) and Corynebacterium urealyticum (99%) and varied among Corynebacterium am ycolatum (56%) and CDC group G (26%). These data emphasize the need fo r an accurate identification of coryneform organisms at the species le vel and for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of these organisms.