RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Although non-diphtheria corynebacteria have traditionally been regarded as avirulent members of human bacterial flora, their pathogenic potential is increasingly recognized in our time. Reasons for this include the prolonged survival of severely ill and immunocompromised patients, the development of more invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and the sub-optimal use of antibiotics that disrupts normal microbial balance and favors superinfections. CASE REPORT: We present a rare case of sepsis due to multidrug-resistant Corynebacterium striatum in a 76-year-old host. The patient suffered from myelodysplastic syndrome and was on corticosteroid treatment due to atopic dermatitis. He had, also, a recent hospital admission and received a course of broad-spectrum antibiotics due to lower respiratory infection. The patient responded neither to empiric nor to targeted treatment and finally succumbed. CONCLUSION: Diphtheroids are emerging pathogens capable of causing severe opportunistic infections. Their multidrugresistant nature renders treatment problematic and poses a threat to the currently established antimicrobial stewardship programs. Hippokratia 2016, 20(1): 67-69.