[Empyema caused by Corynebacterium striatum].

We present the case of a patient, male aged 21 years, admitted in our hospital for an empyema. A strain of C. striatum has been isolated from the pus sampled through the drainage tube. The isolate was identified on Api Coryne gallery (bio Mérieux S.A., France) (identity 97.1%). The disk sensitivity test showed sensitivity to penicillin, cefotaxime, amoxicillin-clavulanate and resistance to rifamycin, kanamycin, pefloxacin, ofloxacin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin and lincomycin. The arguments involving the isolated strain as the aetiological agent were: 1. The bacterium was isolated in pure culture and in significant quantity and 2. The existence of a favourizing clinical condition for an infection caused by a normal resident of the skin.