Coryneform bacteria isolated from blood cultures and their antibiotic susceptibilities

We aimed to determine the types of corynebacteria isolated from the blood of patients at Gaziantep University Hospital, Turkey, and their antibiotic susceptibilities. Between February 1999 and June 2001, 3530 blood samples were cultured, of which 915 were found to be positive, and these were further investigated in the bacteriology laboratory. Among positive blood cultures, coryneform bacteria were idenfitied in 31 (3.4%) isolates. Of these, 16 (51.6%) were Corynebacterium jeikeium, six (19.4%) were Corynebacterium striatum, four (12.9%) were Corynebacterium amycolatum, two (6.5%) were Cellulomonas species, two (6.5%) were Corynebacterium afermentans and one isolate (3.2%) was Corynebacterium propinquum. Antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that C. jeikeium was resistant to various antibiotics, whereas all isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and teicoplanin. This study illustrates the importance of taking coryneform bacteria into consideration when culturing blood samples. The need to identify the species and determine its antibiotic sensitivity is emphasized.