Skip to main content
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1997 Feb;35(2):495–498. doi: 10.1128/jcm.35.2.495-498.1997

A modified Elek test for detection of toxigenic corynebacteria in the diagnostic laboratory.

K H Engler 1, T Glushkevich 1, I K Mazurova 1, R C George 1, A Efstratiou 1
PMCID: PMC229610  PMID: 9003626

Abstract

The detection of toxigenicity among Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans strains is the most important test for the microbiological diagnosis of diphtheria. Difficulties with current methods, in particular the Elek test, are well documented. We therefore describe a modified Elek test which provides an accurate result after only 16 h of incubation, in contrast to 48 h for the conventional test.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (293.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Colman G., Weaver E., Efstratiou A. Screening tests for pathogenic corynebacteria. J Clin Pathol. 1992 Jan;45(1):46–48. doi: 10.1136/jcp.45.1.46. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Groman N., Cianciotto N., Bjorn M., Rabin M. Detection and expression of DNA homologous to the tox gene in nontoxinogenic isolates of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Infect Immun. 1983 Oct;42(1):48–56. doi: 10.1128/iai.42.1.48-56.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hardy I. R., Dittmann S., Sutter R. W. Current situation and control strategies for resurgence of diphtheria in newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Lancet. 1996 Jun 22;347(9017):1739–1744. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(96)90811-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hauser D., Popoff M. R., Kiredjian M., Boquet P., Bimet F. Polymerase chain reaction assay for diagnosis of potentially toxinogenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains: correlation with ADP-ribosylation activity assay. J Clin Microbiol. 1993 Oct;31(10):2720–2723. doi: 10.1128/jcm.31.10.2720-2723.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Mikhailovich V. M., Melnikov V. G., Mazurova I. K., Wachsmuth I. K., Wenger J. D., Wharton M., Nakao H., Popovic T. Application of PCR for detection of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains isolated during the Russian diphtheria epidemic, 1990 through 1994. J Clin Microbiol. 1995 Nov;33(11):3061–3063. doi: 10.1128/jcm.33.11.3061-3063.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Pallen M. J., Hay A. J., Puckey L. H., Efstratiou A. Polymerase chain reaction for screening clinical isolates of corynebacteria for the production of diphtheria toxin. J Clin Pathol. 1994 Apr;47(4):353–356. doi: 10.1136/jcp.47.4.353. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Snell J. J., Demello J. V., Gardner P. S., Kwantes W., Brooks R. Detection of toxin production by Corynebacterium diphtheriae: results of a trial organised as part of the United Kingdom National External Microbiological Quality Assessment Scheme. J Clin Pathol. 1984 Jul;37(7):796–799. doi: 10.1136/jcp.37.7.796. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES