Corynebacterium phoceense – a rare Corynebacterium species isolated from a urine sample

Abstract

Corynebacterium spp. are Gram-positive rods that are recognized to cause opportunistic diseases under certain predisposing clinical conditions. Some species have been described in urinary tract infections. In this report we document a new episode of urinary tract infection caused by Corynebacterium phoceense and describe the whole-genome sequencing, phenotypic characteristics and mass spectra obtained by matrix-assisted desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Based on genome identification and DNA-to-DNA hybridization, we can assume that our strain is the second isolate of C. phoceense to be described in a urine sample. No other infectious diseases have been reported to be associated with this species.