Overview: Corynebacterium matruchotii is abundant in both supragingival and healthy subgingival plaque (Eren et al. 2014, Esberg et al 2020). It was originally called Bacterionema matruchotii and was reclassified into the genus Corynebacterium in 1982 (Collins 1982).

Ecological role/importance in health and disease: C. matruchotii forms the central filament in "corn-cob" structures of dental plaque and clumps of C. matruchotii form the basis of "hedgehog" consortia in plaque (Jones 1972, Mark Welch et al. 2016). The species is associated with health rather than caries (Schoilew et al. 2019).

A cluster of Corynebacterium (magenta) topped by corncob structures composed of Streptococcus (green), Porphyromonas (blue), and Pasteurellaceae (orange). From Mark Welch et al. 2016

A hedgehog structure from dental plaque, with Corynebacterium (magenta) surrounded by Streptococcus (green) and other bacteria including Fusobacterium (yellow), Leptotrichia (blue), and Pasteurellaceae (orange). See Mark Welch et al. 2016