Journal article
Cutaneous Diphtheria—A Potential Lurking Public Health Crisis
Annals of Internal Medicine Clinical Cases, v 4(9), e250549
01 Sep 2025
Abstract
Cutaneous diphtheria, caused by toxigenic Corynebacterium infection, is emerging as a potential public health concern. It is commonly seen in underprivileged populations with homelessness and injection drug use. A 35-year-old woman with a history of injection xylazine use presented to the emergency department with multiple wound infections. Cultures grew Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Since both the toxigenic status of the bacteria and the vaccination status of the patient and her family were unknown, it was challenging to safely discharge her while limiting transmission. This case highlights the need for early recognition and implementation of infection control measures, especially with increasing vaccine hesitancy.
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Details
- Title
- Cutaneous Diphtheria—A Potential Lurking Public Health Crisis
- Creators
- Milan Mahesh - Drexel UniversityThong Le - St. Luke's University Health Network
- Publication Details
- Annals of Internal Medicine Clinical Cases, v 4(9), e250549
- Publisher
- American College of Physicians and the American Heart Association
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Medicine
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105020764671
- Other Identifier
- 991022197305204721