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Corynebacterium is a genus of Gram-positive, thread-like, rod-shaped bacteria. They are saprophytic and most commonly found in the folds of the skin. However, under certain conditions (humidity, diabetes, obesity), they may proliferate and become pathogenic. Their cutaneous proliferation generally gives rise to three different diseases, i.e. erythrasma (Corynebacterium minutissimum), pitted keratolysis (C. keratoliticum) and trichobacteriosis, also referred to as trichomycosis (C. tenuis). These conditions are essentially diagnosed based on the clinical picture in normal light and in Wood’s light (erythrasma fluoresces a coral-pink colour and tricho bacteriosis a green colour). It is not particularly useful to conduct bacteriological tests.
Other rarer conditions are also associated with corynebacteriosis, including cutaneous diphtheria, papular eruptions secondary to C. jeikeium-sepsis, breast abscesses caused by infection with C. striatum, but they will not be discussed here.
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