[Diphtheria - a 21st century zoonosis?]

Abstract

Besides Corynebacterium diphtheriae, C. ulcerans can cause diphtheria in humans, and its incidence has been increasing alarmingly in recent years. The source and reservoir of these infections are a wide range of domestic and wild animals, in which C. ulcerans is associated with both asymptomatic carriage and sometimes severe respiratory and skin infections. The review attempts to summarize new knowledge about the pathogenicity and epidemiology of this emergent zoonotic species.