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Toxigenic cutaneous diphtheria in a returned traveller
Nur R Abdul Rahim1, Ann P Koehler2, Doug D Shaw3
1Public Health Medicine Registrar, Department of Health, South Australia.
Communicable Diseases Intelligence Quarterly Report
|January 30, 2015
Summary
A rare case of cutaneous diphtheria was identified in Australia, highlighting the need for updated surveillance. This finding prompted revisions to public health protocols for managing diphtheria.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Microbiology
Background:
- Diphtheria is uncommon in Australia, with surveillance typically focusing on respiratory forms.
- International evidence suggests cutaneous diphtheria can be a transmission source.
Observation:
- An Australian-born individual presented with a skin ulcer on their toe, later identified as cutaneous diphtheria.
- Toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae was isolated from the lesion swab.
Findings:
- The case was successfully treated with antibiotics.
- Public health interventions included contact tracing, organism carriage assessment, and chemoprophylaxis.
Implications:
- The case underscored the importance of including cutaneous diphtheria in national surveillance definitions.
- South Australia revised its public health management protocol to include cutaneous lesions in the case definition.
- Enhanced surveillance may prevent potential outbreaks in susceptible populations.
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