Corynebacterium jeikeium Dormant Cell Formation and Photodynamic Inactivation

On the Possibility of Using 5-Aminolevulinic Acid in the Light-Induced Destruction of Microorganisms

Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) is a method that specifically kills target cells by combining a photosensitizer and irradiation with light at the appropriate wavelength. The natural amino acid, 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), is the precursor of endogenous porphyrins in the heme biosynthesis pathway. This review summarizes the recent progress in understanding the biosynthetic pathways and regulatory mechanisms of 5-ALA synthesis in biological hosts. The effectiveness of 5-ALA-aPDI in destroying various groups of pathogens (viruses, fungi, yeasts, parasites) was presented, but greater attention was focused on the antibacterial activity of this technique. Finally, the clinical applications of 5-ALA in therapies using 5-ALA and visible light (treatment of ulcers and disinfection of dental canals) were described.

Internal-Fixation Hardware Infection With Corynebacterium jeikeium

Corynebacterium is a rare cause of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) and infection after fracture fixation (IAFF). We present a case of a patient who developed Corynebacterium jeikeium-associated IAFF three weeks after his fracture fixation. Due to its slow-growing nature, surgical cultures remained negative after 72 hours and grew only on day 5. We highlight that physicians should have Corynebacterium-associated infection in their differential in such cases, especially when the cultures remain negative after 72 hours. We also review the literature of PJI and implant-associated infection with C. jeikeium and discuss the antibiotic resistance patterns and some microbiological considerations associated with C. jeikeium.