Imported toxigenic cutaneous diphtheria in a young male returning from Mozambique to Norway, March 2014

A Jakovljev; M Steinbakk; A T Mengshoel; E Sagvik; P Brügger-Synnes; T Sakshaug; K Rønning; H Blystad; K Bergh

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES2014.19.24.20835

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Imported toxigenic cutaneous diphtheria in a young male returning from Mozambique to Norway, March 2014
A Jakovljev¹ , M Steinbakk² , A T Mengshoel² , E Sagvik³ , P Brügger-Synnes⁴ , T Sakshaug⁵ , K Rønning⁶ , H Blystad⁶ , K Bergh¹
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Affiliations: ¹ Department of Medical microbiology, St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway ² Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway ³ Department of Infectious Diseases Control, Municipality of Trondheim, Norway ⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway ⁵ Sørbyen Legesenter, Heimdal, Norway ⁶ Division of Infectious Disease Control, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

Correspondence:
A Jakovljev
aleksandra.jakovljev stolav.no
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Citation style for this article: Jakovljev A, Steinbakk M, Mengshoel A T, Sagvik E, Brügger-Synnes P, Sakshaug T, Rønning K, Blystad H, Bergh K. Imported toxigenic cutaneous diphtheria in a young male returning from Mozambique to Norway, March 2014 . Euro Surveill. 2014;19(24):pii=20835. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2014.19.24.20835 Received: 19 May 2014

Abstract

In March 2014 a 20-year-old man was diagnosed with cutaneous diphtheria at St. Olavs University Hospital in Trondheim, Norway on his return from Africa. The man had been in Mozambique since autumn 2013 and had experienced persistent skin ulcer infections. His was in good general health. Toxin-producing Corynebacterium diphtheriae was grown from a wound specimen. He had completed the national childhood vaccination programme and received a diphtheria vaccine booster dose in 2005. Screening of close contacts revealed an asymptomatic person colonised with non-toxigenic C. diphtheriae.