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  • Title: Molecular Characterization of Corynebacterium diphtheriae Outbreak Isolates, South Africa, March-June 2015.
    Author: du Plessis M, Wolter N, Allam M, de Gouveia L, Moosa F, Ntshoe G, Blumberg L, Cohen C, Smith M, Mutevedzi P, Thomas J, Horne V, Moodley P, Archary M, Mahabeer Y, Mahomed S, Kuhn W, Mlisana K, McCarthy K, von Gottberg A.
    Journal: Emerg Infect Dis; 2017 Aug; 23(8):1308-1315. PubMed ID: 28726616.
    Abstract:
    In 2015, a cluster of respiratory diphtheria cases was reported from KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. By using whole-genome analysis, we characterized 21 Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolates collected from 20 patients and contacts during the outbreak (1 patient was infected with 2 variants of C. diphtheriae). In addition, we included 1 cutaneous isolate, 2 endocarditis isolates, and 2 archived clinical isolates (ca. 1980) for comparison. Two novel lineages were identified, namely, toxigenic sequence type (ST) ST-378 (n = 17) and nontoxigenic ST-395 (n = 3). One archived isolate and the cutaneous isolate were ST-395, suggesting ongoing circulation of this lineage for >30 years. The absence of preexisting molecular sequence data limits drawing conclusions pertaining to the origin of these strains; however, these findings provide baseline genotypic data for future cases and outbreaks. Neither ST has been reported in any other country; this ST appears to be endemic only in South Africa.
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