Cutaneous diphtheria infection

Cutaneous diphtheria infection
A diphtheria skin lesion on the leg
SpecialtyInfectious diseases 

Cutaneous diphtheria is an infection of the skin by Corynebacterium diphtheriae.[1]: 265  It is also known as "desert sore".[2] The infection can provoke a chronic ulcer that requires treatment with antibiotics.[3]

The pathogen is common in tropical country and normally causes respiratory infections in those regions, but cases of cutaneous diphtheria sometimes appear in underprivileged populations in developed countries.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ James, William D.; Berger, Timothy G.; et al. (2006). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: clinical Dermatology. Saunders Elsevier. ISBN 0-7216-2921-0.
  2. ^ Geoffrey V. Gill; Nick Beeching (1 March 2004). Lecture notes on tropical medicine. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-0-632-06496-0.
  3. ^ Berih, A. (May 1995). "Cutaneous Corynebacterium diphtheriae: A traveller's disease?". Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology. 6 (3): 150–2. doi:10.1155/1995/646325. PMC 3327909. PMID 22514388.
  4. ^ Lowe, C.F.; Bernard, K.A.; Romney, M.G. (2011). "Cutaneous Diphtheria in the Urban Poor Population of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: a 10-Year Review". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 49 (7): 2664–6. doi:10.1128/JCM.00362-11. PMC 3147867. PMID 21525220.
  5. ^ Mahesh, Milan; Thong, Le (16 September 2025). "Cutaneous Diphtheria—A Potential Lurking Public Health Crisis". Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases. 4 (9) e250549. doi:10.7326/aimcc.2025.0549 – via ACP Journals.