Editing Corynebacterium diphtheriae (section)

==Classification==
Four subspecies are recognized: ''C. d. mitis'', ''C. d. intermedius'', ''C. d. gravis'', and ''C. d. belfanti''. The four subspecies differ slightly in their [[colonial morphology]] and biochemical properties, such as the ability to metabolize certain nutrients. All may be either toxigenic (and therefore cause diphtheria) or not toxigenic.

Strain subtyping involves comparing species of bacteria and categorizing them into subspecies.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Shariat N, Dudley EG | title = CRISPRs: molecular signatures used for pathogen subtyping | journal = Applied and Environmental Microbiology | volume = 80 | issue = 2 | pages = 430–439 | date = January 2014 | pmid = 24162568 | pmc = 3911090 | doi = 10.1128/AEM.02790-13 | bibcode = 2014ApEnM..80..430S }}</ref> Strain subtyping also helps with identifying the origin of a certain bacteria's outbreak. However, when it comes to the subtyping of ''C. diphtheriae'', there is not a lot of useful or accurate classification due to the lack of publicly available resources to identify strains and therefore find the origin of outbreaks.<ref name="pmid27291708"/>