Investigation article published in Emerging Infectious Diseases

June 1^st, 2022

Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans is as an emerging zoonotic agent of diphtheria. We describe the zoonotic transmission of diphtheria caused by toxigenic C. ulcerans from domestic animals in Spain, confirmed by core-genome multilocus sequence typing. Alongside an increasing number of recent publications, our findings highlight the public health threat posed by diphtheria reemergence.
Diphtheria has been increasing in relevance because of increasing individual travel and surges in mass relocation events of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants from countries where diphtheria remains endemic (1–3). These importation events, in combination with growing vaccine hesitancy in nonendemic countries, give diphtheria a high potential for reemergence.
Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans, an agent of diphtheria, has frequently been identified in domesticated animals such as cats, dogs, and pigs in which zoonotic transmission has been demonstrated (4–7). Toxigenic C. ulcerans has also been identified in wild animals such as ferrets, boars, and deer (8). This natural reservoir of C. ulcerans, in both wild and domesticated animals, constitutes a major public health threat

Hoefer A., Herrera-Leon S., Dominguez L., Ordovas-Gavin M., Romero B., Araujo-Piedra XB., Sobrino-Calzada C., Uria-Gonzalez MJ., Herrera-Leon L. and Case Study Investigation Group.

Zoonotic Transmission of Diphtheria from Domestic Animal Reservoir, Spain

Zoonotic Transmission of Diphtheria from Domestic Animal Reservoir, Spain

	European Public Health Microbiology Training Programme.
	Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII).
	Dirección General de Salud Pública. Consejería de Sanidad. Comunidad de Madrid.
	Hospital Universitario del Sureste.
	Laboratorio Br Salud Ut.
	Servicio de Identificación y Caracterización Microbiana (ICM). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).