Role of Tsukamurella species in human infections: first literature review.

Tsukamurella is an aerobic, Gram-positive and nonmotile bacterium. It was first isolated in 1941 from the mycetoma and ovaries of the bedbug. The primary strains were named Corynebacterium paurometabolum and Gordona aurantiaca and are different from the Collins et al. , 1988 classification of the new Tsukamurella genus. Human infections with Tsukamurella species are rare because the species is a kind of saprophyte bacterium; however, most information regarding this species comes from case reports. Molecular markers for the identification Tsukamurella include sequencing of 16S rRNA, groEL, rpoB, secA1 and ssrA genes. Given the lack of information on the treatment of Tsukamurella infections, a combination of various antibiotic agents is recommended.