Highly toxinogenic but avirulent Park-Williams 8 strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae does not produce siderophore.

The highly toxinogenic Park-Williams 8 strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae grows slowly in vitro and is avirulent. C. diphtheriae Park-Williams 8 is defective in iron uptake and does not produce the corynebacterial siderophore corynebactin. Addition of partially purified corynebactin stimulated iron uptake and growth of iron-deprived C. diphtheriae Park-Williams 8 cells.