Prospective study of catalase-positive coryneform organisms in clinical specimens: identification, clinical relevance, and antibiotic susceptibility.

During a 6-month period, all clinical isolates of catalase-positive coryneform organisms, which were isolated during the routine processing of clinical specimens, were characterized in the laboratory of the 1800-bed University Hospital of Leuven. The distribution of the species in the corynebacteria was: Corynebacterium amycolatum 70 (53%), Corynebacterium jeikeium 16 (12%), Corynebacterium striatum 11 (8%), Corynebacterium afermentans 10 (7%), Corynebacterium minutissimum 9 (6%), CDC coryneform group G 4 (3%), Corynebacterium urealyticum 4 (3%), Corynebacterium glucuronolyticum 1 (0.7%), and Corynebacterium xerosis 1 (0.7%). Of the 150 isolates, 37 (25%) were considered to be infection related and the remaining 113 (75%) were of questionable clinical significance. Susceptibility of the corynebacteria to 12 antibiotics active against Gram-positive organisms was evaluated. C. amycolatum, C. jeikeium, and C. urealyticum were multiresistant, but all isolates were susceptible to teicoplanin and vancomycin. Most of the C. amycolatum strains, and all strains of C. jeikeium and C. striatum, were susceptible to the vibrocidal compound O/129.