Curriculum Category: Bacteria

C diphtheriae and toxigenic corynebacterium

Introduction (This is important for the exam; hence, the discussion in detail) Three Corynebacterium spp (C. diphtheriae, C. pseudotuberculosis and C. ulcerans) are toxigenic and can cause diphtheria. Corynebacterium diphtheria has four biovars: gravis, mitis, intermedius and belfantii. It has been proposed that belfantii be made into a new species, C belfantii. In the UK, the commonest … Read more

Non-Toxigenic Corynebacterium

Introduction There are 134 validly published species in the Corynebacterium genus. Some species are part of the normal human flora but may opportunistically cause disease, and some are transmitted to humans by zoonotic contact. The potentially toxigenic Corynebacterium species comprise C. diphtheria, C. pseudotuberculosis and C. ulcerans. Toxigenic strains are lysogenic for a family of … Read more