TABLE 1.
Toxigenicity and isolation sites of referrals of C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans in Canada between 1999 and 2003
| Parameter | No. of isolates
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
C. diphtheriae
|
C. ulcerans (n = 3) | All isolates (n = 92) | |||
| Biotype mitis (n = 56) | Biotype gravis (n = 28) | Biotype belfanti (n = 5) | |||
| Produced diphtheria toxin | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Carried diphtheria toxin genea | 6 | 0 | 2b | 0 | 8 |
| Nontoxigenic | 48 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 75 |
| Isolation site | |||||
| Blood | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Other sterile sitec | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Ear | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Throat | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Sinus | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Other nonsterile sited | 35 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 54 |
| Not stated | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
a
Refers to isolates that carried the tox gene and did not produce diphtheria toxin.
b
C. diphtheriae biotype belfanti carried the toxA fragment only.
c
Other sterile sites included lungs and eyes.
d
Other nonsterile sites included skin wounds (ulcer, abscess, burn) from numerous body parts (mostly hands, arms, feet, and legs), and a peritoneal catheter exit site.