Corynebacterium haemolyticum septicemia in a girl with mononucleosis infectiosa.

Many isolates of Corynebacterium are dismissed as contaminants by technicians and microbiologists in the laboratory. We report the isolation of Corynebacterium haemolyticum from the blood of a 15-year-old girl with mononucleosis infectiosa and conclude that this species should be considered as a possible pathogen and not only be regarded as innocent bacteria, particularly in the immunocompromised host.