Corynebacterium diphtheriae wani nau'i ne na Gram-positive, ƙwayoyin cuta masu siffar sanda wanda zai iya haifar da cutar diphtheria mai cututtuka a cikin mutane. Kalmar "coryne" a cikin sunanta ta fito ne daga kalmar Helenanci "koryne," ma'ana mai siffar kulob ko kuma mai siffa, wanda ke kwatanta bayyanar kwayoyin cutar a karkashin na'urar gani. Diphtheria cuta ce mai tsanani da ke haifar da kumburin makogwaro da wahalar numfashi, kuma a wasu lokuta na iya haifar da lalacewar zuciya da jijiyoyi. Ana kamuwa da cutar ta hanyar ɗigon numfashi, kuma ana iya rigakafin ta ta hanyar allurar rigakafi.