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. 2018 Jun;164(6):865-867.
doi: 10.1099/mic.0.000627. Epub 2018 Feb 21.

Microbe Profile: Corynebacterium diphtheriae - an old foe always ready to seize opportunity

Paul A Hoskisson  1
Affiliations

Microbe Profile: Corynebacterium diphtheriae - an old foe always ready to seize opportunity

Paul A Hoskisson. Microbiology (Reading). 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Corynebacterium diphtheriae is a globally important Gram-positive aerobic Actinobacterium capable of causing the toxin-mediated disease, diphtheria. Diphtheria was a major cause of childhood mortality prior to the introduction of the toxoid vaccine, yet it is capable of rapid resurgence following the breakdown of healthcare provision, vaccination or displacement of people. The mechanism and treatment of toxin-mediated disease is well understood, however there are key gaps in our knowledge on the basic biology of C. diphtheriae particularly relating to host colonisation, the nature of asymptomatic carriage, population genomics and host adaptation.

Keywords: Corynebacterium diphtheriae; actinobacteria; diphtheria; exotoxin; toxin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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