Role in disease Corynebacterium

the notable human infection diphtheria, caused c. diphtheriae. acute , contagious infection characterized pseudomembranes of dead epithelial cells, white blood cells, red blood cells, , fibrin form around tonsils , of throat. in developed countries, uncommon illness tends occur in unvaccinated individuals, school-aged children, elderly, neutropenic or immunocompromised patients, , prosthetic devices such prosthetic heart valves, shunts, or catheters. more common in developing countries can infect wounds, vulva, conjunctiva, , middle ear. can spread within hospital. virulent , toxigenic strains lysogenic, , produce exotoxin formed 2 polypeptide chains, produced when bacterium transformed gene β prophage.

several species cause disease in animals, notably c. pseudotuberculosis, causes disease caseous lymphadenitis, , pathogenic in humans. attack healthy hosts, while others tend attack immunocompromised. effects of infection include granulomatous lymphadenopathy, pneumonitis, pharyngitis, skin infections, , endocarditis. corynebacterial endocarditis seen in patients intravascular devices. c. tenuis believed cause trichomycosis palmellina , trichomycosis axillaris. c. striatum may cause axillary odor. c. minutissimum causes erythrasma.