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. 2022 Aug;28(8):1686-1688.
doi: 10.3201/eid2808.220018.

Toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae Infection in Cat, Texas, USA

Ronald Tyler Jr, Layda Rincon, Michael R Weigand, Lingzi Xiaoli, Anna M Acosta, Daniel Kurien, Hong Ju, Sonia Lingsweiler, Emilie Yvonne Prot

Toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae Infection in Cat, Texas, USA

Ronald Tyler Jr et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

We report a toxigenic strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated from an oozing dermal wound in a pet cat in Texas, USA. We also describe the epidemiologic public health efforts conducted to identify potential sources of infection and mitigate its spread and the molecular and genetic studies performed to identify the bacterium.

Keywords: C. diphtheriae; Corynebacterium diphtheriae; Texas; United States; cat diphtheria; domestic cat; toxigenic diphtheria.

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