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Case Reports
. 2021 Dec;10(1):2300-2302.
doi: 10.1080/22221751.2021.2008774.

Cutaneous diphtheria: three case-reports to discuss determinants of re-emergence in resource-rich settings

Laura I Levi  1 , Frédéric Barbut  2 , Dorothée Chopin  1 , Paul Rondeau  1 , Valérie Lalande  3 , Sarah Jolivet  2 , Edgar Badell  4   5 , Sylvain Brisse  4   5 , Karine Lacombe  1   6 , Laure Surgers  1   6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Cutaneous diphtheria: three case-reports to discuss determinants of re-emergence in resource-rich settings

Laura I Levi et al. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Diphtheria is a re-emerging disease in resource-rich settings. We here report three cases of cutaneous diphtheria diagnosed and managed in our infectious disease department and discuss the determinants of its re-emergence. Migration, travel and vaccine scepticism are key factors not only for diphtheria re-emergence, but for the future of most preventable diseases.

Keywords: Corynebacterium diphtheriae; Corynebacterium ulcerans; Diphtheria; emergence; vaccine scepticism.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Cutaneous diphtheria in the form of a paronychia appearing after a travel to Mali.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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