Clinical characteristics, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and outcomes of Corynebacterium bacteremia: a 15-year retrospective study

Among the 437 patients, 192 (44%) were classified as having true bacteremia. Independent predictors included hematologic malignancy (aOR 3.75; 95% CI: 1.40-10.73), central venous catheter use (aOR 2.39; 95% CI: 1.49-3.84), non-dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (aOR 2.83; 95% CI: 1.11-7.66), and hypertension (aOR 1.92; 95% CI: 1.20-3.08). The 30-day all-cause mortality rate was significantly greater in true bacteremia patients (43.8% vs. 23.3%, p < 0.001). In the Cox proportional hazards model, hematologic malignancy (aHR 2.32, 95% CI 1.35-4.00) and central venous catheter use (aHR 2.34, 95% CI 1.46-3.74) were identified as independent predictors of 30-day mortality. C. striatum was the most common species (29.5%), highly resistant to penicillin (96.7%) and clindamycin (98.4%), but universally susceptible to vancomycin CONCLUSION: Nearly half of Corynebacterium-positive blood cultures represented true infections with high mortality. Vancomycin remains the most reliable empiric therapy. Species-level identification and susceptibility testing are essential for accurate diagnosis and management CLINICAL TRIAL: Not applicable.