Diphtheria

Corynebacteria are Gram-positive, aerobic, nonmotile, rod-shaped bacteria related to the
Actinomycetes. They do not form spores or branch as do the actinomycetes, but they
have the characteristic of forming irregular shaped, club-shaped or V-shaped
arrangements in normal growth. They undergo snapping movements just after cell
division which brings them into characteristic arrangements resembling Chinese letters.
The genus Corynebacterium consists of a diverse group of bacteria including animal and
plant pathogens, as well as saprophytes. …