Clinical Characteristics of Corynebacterium Bacteremia Caused by Different Species, Japan, 2014-2020.

To determine differences in clinical characteristics of patients with bacteremia caused by , , and other species of , we retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients in Japan who had bacteremia during January 2014–May 2020. Of the 115 records evaluated, 60 (52%) were cases of true bacteremia and 55 (48%) were cases of contamination. Proportions of true bacteremia cases caused by (70%) and by (71%) were significantly higher than those caused by other species of (9%). These 2 organisms were commonly detected in blood cultures of patients with hematologic malignancies and neutropenia. The mortality rates at 90 days were 34% (), 30% (), and 0 (other species). Given the high mortality rates, assessing true bacteremia when or is detected in blood cultures, especially in patients with hematologic malignancy, is warranted.