Corynebacterium striatum bacteremia associated with central venous catheter infection

Corynebacterium striatum (. C striatum) has been considered a contaminant of blood culture in past decades. Here we report the case of a patient with acute deterioration of chronic renal failure. She received hemodialysis and died from . C striatum bacteremia. By using a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method, we found that an association existed between . C striatum from the bloodstream and that from the central venous catheter. We suggest that . C striatum could be a pathogen of bloodstream infection in patients with such a catheter in place.