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. 2024 Mar 16;58:101239. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2024.101239

Table 1.

Characteristics of patients diagnosed with cutaneous diphtheriae.

Patient 1 Patient 2
Date of admission 17th November 2023 22nd November 2023
Demographic characteristics
Gender Male Male
Age (years) 38 40
Intravenous drug use For over 20 years (heroin, ethnobotanical drugs) For over 20 years (heroin, ethnobotanical drugs)
Residence Bucharest Homeless in Bucharest
Travel history (last month) No No
Contact with migrants No No
Diphtheria vaccine history Declared being vaccinated in childhood (no medical evidence) UKN
Anti-diphtheria toxin antibodies (protective if > 1 Ul/mL) 0.438 UI/mL 0.066 UI/mL
Medical data
Chronic infections HIV, hepatitis B ​+ ​D, hepatitis C HIV, hepatitis C
Medical problems before admission TB meningitis surgical intervention for an arteriovenous fistula on the right femoral vessels
Concomitant infections
  • ●

    Pulmonary tuberculosis

  • ●

    Pneumonia with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus

  • ●

    Left pneumothorax
  • ●

    TB meningitis

  • ●

    Pulmonary tuberculosis

  • ●

    Bronchopneumonia with respiratory failure

  • ●

    Massive right pneumothorax

  • ●

    Sepsis with Streptococcus pyogenes

  • ●

    Clostridioides difficile enterocolitis
CD4 count (cells/ml) 181 336
HIV RNA 14.800 copies/mL 945.000 copies/mL
Germs isolated from ulcer
Corynebacterium diphtheriae Non-toxigenic strain Non-toxigenic strain
Streptococcus pyogenes yes yes
Staphylococcus aureus yes