This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Organism properties

Authoring team

Corynebacterium diphtheriae exhibits the following characteristics:

  • morphology: 'Chinese character' bacilli which bear metachromatic granules
  • cultural characteristics: grey colonies on tellurite agar
  • biochemical properties: sucrose negative, urease negative

Further, based on the morphology of the colonies and the presence of metachromatic granules, C. diphtheriae is divided into the following species in order of increasing virulence:

  • mitis
  • intermedius
  • gravis

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.