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Whole genome sequencing suggests transmission of Corynebacterium diphtheriae-caused cutaneous diphtheria in two siblings, Germany, 2018.

ABSTRACT: In September 2018, a child who had returned from Somalia to Germany presented with cutaneous diphtheria by toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae biovar mitis. The child's sibling had superinfected insect bites harbouring also toxigenic C. diphtheriae. Next generation sequencing (NGS) revealed the same strain in both patients suggesting very recent human-to-human transmission. Epidemiological and NGS data suggest that the two cutaneous diphtheria cases constitute the first outbreak by toxigenic C. diphtheriae in Germany since the 1980s.

SUBMITTER: Berger A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6337054 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Whole genome sequencing suggests transmission of Corynebacterium diphtheriae-caused cutaneous diphtheria in two siblings, Germany, 2018.

Berger Anja A Dangel Alexandra A Schober Tilmann T Schmidbauer Birgit B Konrad Regina R Marosevic Durdica D Schubert Sören S Hörmansdorfer Stefan S Ackermann Nikolaus N Hübner Johannes J Sing Andreas A

Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin 20190101 2

In September 2018, a child who had returned from Somalia to Germany presented with cutaneous diphtheria by toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae biovar mitis. The child's sibling had superinfected insect bites harbouring also toxigenic C. diphtheriae. Next generation sequencing (NGS) revealed the same strain in both patients suggesting very recent human-to-human transmission. Epidemiological and NGS data suggest that the two cutaneous diphtheria cases constitute the first ou ...[more]

PMID: 30646974

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Respiratory Illness Caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae and C. ulcerans, and Use of Diphtheria Antitoxin in the United States, 1996-2018.

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