Severe Pneumonia Caused by Corynebacterium striatum in Adults, Seoul, South Korea, 2014–2019

We investigated the proportion and characteristics of severe Corynebacterium striatum pneumonia in South Korea during 2014–2019. As part of an ongoing observational study of severe pneumonia among adult patients, we identified 27 severe C. striatum pneumonia cases. Most (70.4%) cases were hospital-...

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Main Authors: Yun Woo Lee, Jin Won Huh, Sang-Bum Hong, Jiwon Jung, Min Jae Kim, Yong Pil Chong, Sung-Han Kim, Heungsup Sung, Kyung-Hyun Do, Sang-Oh Lee, Chae-Man Lim, Yang Soo Kim, Younsuck Koh, Sang-Ho Choi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2022-11-01
Series:Emerging Infectious Diseases
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Online Access:https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/28/11/22-0273_article
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Summary:We investigated the proportion and characteristics of severe Corynebacterium striatum pneumonia in South Korea during 2014–2019. As part of an ongoing observational study of severe pneumonia among adult patients, we identified 27 severe C. striatum pneumonia cases. Most (70.4%) cases were hospital-acquired, and 51.9% of patients were immunocompromised. C. striatum cases among patients with severe hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) increased from 1.0% (2/200) during 2014–2015 to 5.4% (10/185) during 2018–2019, but methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections among severe HAP cases decreased from 12.0% to 2.7% during the same timeframe. During 2018–2019, C. striatum was responsible for 13.3% of severe HAP cases from which bacterial pathogens were identified. The 90-day mortality rates were similarly high in the C. striatum and MRSA groups. C. striatum was a major cause of severe HAP and had high mortality rates. This pathogen is emerging as a possible cause for severe pneumonia, especially among immunocompromised patients.
ISSN:1080-6040
1080-6059