ABSTRACT
The frequency and severity of human infections associated with Corynebacterium ulcerans appear to be increasing in different countries. Here, we describe the first C. ulcerans strain producing a diphtheria-like toxin isolated from an elderly woman with a fatal pulmonary infection and a history of leg skin ulcers in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area.
Subject(s)
Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Bronchopneumonia/microbiology , Corynebacterium Infections/microbiology , Corynebacterium/metabolism , Diphtheria Toxoid/biosynthesis , Leg Ulcer/microbiology , Brazil/epidemiology , Bronchopneumonia/diagnosis , Corynebacterium Infections/diagnosis , Corynebacterium Infections/epidemiology , Corynebacterium/isolation & purification , Fatal Outcome , Leg Ulcer/diagnosisABSTRACT
Mycobacterium simiae is usually an environmental contaminant rarely associated with human disease. We report a fatal case of M.simiae infection in a 37 year old, HIV positive, male from whom the organism was isolated from blood culture. The identification of M.simiae was performed using DNA amplification followed by analysis on 3 agarose gel of the amplicon fragments after digestion by restriction endonucleases. The precise identification of mycobacterial isolates to the species level is important, with both epidemiological and therapeutic implications.