Imported Toxigenic <i>Corynebacterium Diphtheriae</i> in Refugees with Polymicrobial Skin Infections, Germany, 2022
Benedikt D. Spielberger, Anna Hansel, Alea Nazary, Eva-Maria Kleißle, Claus-Georg Lehr, Marcel Utz, Juliana Höfer, Siegbert Rieg, Winfried V. Kern
Abstract
During August-December 2022, toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae was isolated from 25 refugees with skin infections and 2 refugees with asymptomatic throat colonization at a refugee reception center in Germany. None had systemic toxin-mediated illness. Of erosive/ulcerative skin infections, 96% were polymicrobial. Erosive/ulcerative wounds in refugees should undergo testing to rule out cutaneous diphtheria.
Topics & Concepts
Corynebacterium diphtheriaeRefugeeDiphtheria toxinDiphtheriaThroatAsymptomaticSkin infectionMicrobiologyMedicineColonizationCorynebacteriumImmunologyVirologyBiologyStaphylococcus aureusToxinPathologyBacteriaVaccinationGeographySurgeryGeneticsArchaeologyDiphtheria, Corynebacterium, and TetanusClostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens researchStreptococcal Infections and Treatments