Abstract
Only three species of the genus Corynebacterium are able to produce a lethal toxin: Corynebacterium ulcerans, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, and Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Foods have rarely been a vehicle for toxigenic corynebacteria, but there have been reports of infections from eating or drinking unpasteurized dairy products. Although infections caused by this group of bacteria have been uncommon in developed countries, increasing numbers of cases recorded during the past several years point at C. ulcerans and C. diphtheriae as reemerging human pathogens. This article presents the mechanisms of regulation of the toxin expression and the toxin action, results of recent studies on virulence factors other than the toxin, occurrence of the species in the environment with focus on known and new sources of infection, as well as diagnosis and typing methods.
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