AUTHOR=Zendri Flavia , Isgren Cajsa Marie , Sinovich Matthew , Richards-Rios Peter , Hopkins Katie L. , Russell Katherine , Groves Natalie , Litt David , Fry Norman K. , Timofte Dorina 

TITLE=Case Report: Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans Diphtheria-Like Infection in a Horse in the United Kingdom

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.650238

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2021.650238

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Corynebacterium ulcerans</italic> (<italic>C. ulcerans</italic>) may cause diphtheria in humans and can be carried by a wide range of animal species including dairy cows and, more recently, dogs and cats that have been increasingly involved in zoonotic trasmission. We isolated and characterized, by WGS, a toxigenic <italic>C. ulcerans</italic> strain from a diseased horse in the United Kingdom showing clinical signs of respiratory diphtheria comparable to those seen in people. Our results indicate a role for horses as reservoirs for zoonotic <italic>C. ulcerans</italic>.</p>