Corynebacterium diphtheriae on Culture and Microscopy Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the cause of vaccine-preventable diphtheria. Matching name to features: "Coryne" (korune) "club" (see gram stain) "diptheriae" "hide; leather" - forms tough pseudomembrane in throat. Rich Davis, PhD, D(ABMM), MLS @richdavisphd #Corynebacterium #diphtheriae #Culture #Microscopy #clinical #microbiology