Sexually transmitted diphtheria

Diphtheria is caused by diphtheria toxin-producing Corynebacterium species. While classical respiratory diphtheria is transmitted by droplets, cutaneous diphtheria often results from minor trauma. This report concerns the first case of sexually transmitted diphtheria in a patient with non-gonococcal urethritis after orogenital contact. Diphtheria and diphtheria-like illness is caused by Corynebacterium species harbouring the diphtheria toxin-encoding tox gene. Diphtheria is a WHOnotifiable disease and alerts both clinicians and public health authorities. Infections caused by toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae are now extremely rare in industrialised countries and are mostly associated with travel or contact with a person from an endemic area such as India, Indonesia, Brazil or the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. 1 Respiratory diphtheria is usually transmitted by droplets, whereas cutaneous diphtheria often results from minor trauma and frequently shows co-infection with other bacteria such as staphylococci and streptococci. Here, we report the first case of sexually transmitted diphtheria in a patient with non-gonococcal urethritis after orogenital contact.