Case report links multidrug-resistant C. glucuronolyticum to multifocal skin infection

A case report documents multifocal subcutaneous infection caused by Corynebacterium glucuronolyticum in an immunocompetent man, extending the bacterium’s documented clinical range beyond chronic genitourinary tract infections. Cultures from both lesions yielded the organism, whose identity was established by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA sequencing before whole-genome sequencing confirmed the species identification. Investigators described the case as the first report of multifocal subcutaneous masses caused by C. glucuronolyticum .

As a single-patient case report, the study documents a clinical manifestation but does not establish the frequency of such infections or the full range of disease associated with the species. The affected man was immunocompetent, adding evidence that the infection occurred without an identified impairment of host immunity. Whole-genome analysis identified a multidrug resistance region containing resistance determinants associated with mobile genetic elements.

It separately reports the biocide resistance gene qacEΔ1 . Except for intrinsic tet(W) , the antimicrobial resistance genes were associated with mobile elements that formed the multidrug resistance region. Comparative genomic analyses suggested interspecies horizontal gene transfer as a possible mechanism behind the resistance determinants.

Phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility results were concordant with the genomic findings, linking the detected resistance genes to the bacterium’s observed susceptibility profile. The genome also contained multiple virulence factors. Together, recovery of C. glucuronolyticum from both lesions, concordant susceptibility testing and the genomic findings support its role in the infection.

The report’s broader significance lies in adding a multidrug-resistant, multifocal subcutaneous presentation to the known clinical associations of this species and providing a genomic description of its resistance and virulence-associated determinants.

Subject of Research: Multifocal C. glucuronolyticum infection with multidrug resistance in an immunocompetent man

Article Title: Multifocal subcutaneous infection by Corynebacterium glucuronolyticum: expanded pathogenicity and multidrug resistance

Article References: Du, B., Yuan, M., Wang, L., Song, Z., Duan, Y., Zhu, X., & Li, Z. (2026). Multifocal subcutaneous infection by Corynebacterium glucuronolyticum: expanded pathogenicity and multidrug resistance. BMC Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14611-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12879-026-14611-w

Keywords: Corynebacterium glucuronolyticum, multifocal infection, subcutaneous masses, multidrug resistance, whole-genome sequencing, horizontal gene transfer, antimicrobial susceptibility, virulence factors, case report, Multifocal, subcutaneous, infection