Corynebacterium urealyticum was previously known as CDC coryneform Group D-2. The organism stains as gram-positive rods that may appear in palisades or V-shapes. Lipophilic colonies grow after 48 hours on sheep blood in the presence of CO2 but can grow at a temperature range of 25-42°C. These colonies appear as small white to grayish-white with no beta-hemolysis and are typically slow-growing.
C. urealyticum is a glucose non-oxidizer but has a strong positive urease reaction. This organism can be found on the skin of hospitalized patients and is strongly implicated in urinary tract infections for patients that have been hospitalized, are elderly, or immunocompromised, and is not commonly found in healthy individuals. Because this bacteria causes an increase in urine pH, it is often associated with struvite crystals which can cause kidney stones. A review by Salem et al. indicates that since this isolate has been recovered in hospital environments that it may be transmissible nosocomially through the air.24
23. Erasmus University Medical Center Rottedam. "Corynebacterium urealyticum grown in CO2 on sheep blood agar." Microbe Canvas. Permission to use the image has been granted to the author. 2022. Accessed July 28, 2023. https://microbe-canvas.com/Bacteria.php?p=1222 24. Salem N, Salem L, Saber S, Ismail G, Bluth M. Corynebacterium urealyticum: A comprehensive review of an understated organism. Infection and Drug Resistance. 2015;8:129-145. Published 2015 May 21. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S74795
