Exudative pharyngitis and Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum: A case report and review of the literature

Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum is an established member of the normal flora of the respiratory tract. This organism is an emerging cause of respiratory tract infection, as well as infection of the skin and skin structures, urinary tract and other sterile sites. The syndrome of C. pseudodiphtheriticum exudative pharyngitis is a diagnostic challenge of particular relevance in recent times as this organism can be confused with Corynebacterium diphtheriae in the clinical setting and in the laboratory. We report a case of exudative pharyngitis, possibly due to C. pseudodiphtheriticum, in a 14-month old, incompletely vaccinated, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive infant and review the role of this organism in terms of its microbiological profile and identification, disease spectrum and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern.