title: Corynebacterium diphtheriae in a free-roaming red fox: case report and historical review on diphtheria in animals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the classical causative agent of diphtheria, is considered to be nearly restricted to humans. Here we report the first finding of a non-toxigenic C. diphtheriae biovar belfanti strain in a free-roaming wild animal.
  
  
  METHODS
  The strain obtained from the subcutis and mammary gland of a dead red fox (Vulpes vulpes) was characterized by biochemical and molecular methods including MALDI-TOF and Multi Locus Sequence Typing. Since C. diphtheriae infections of animals, usually with close contact to humans, are reported only very rarely, an intense review comprising also scientific literature from the beginning of the 20th century was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Besides the present case, only 11 previously reported C. diphtheriae animal infections could be verified using current scientific criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our report is the first on the isolation of C. diphtheriae from a wildlife animal without any previous human contact. In contrast, the very few unambiguous publications on C. diphtheriae in animals referred to livestock or pet animals with close human contact. C. diphtheriae carriage in animals has to be considered as an exceptionally rare event.
authors.affiliation: National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany. andreas.sing@lgl.bayern.de.|Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, Germany. andreas.sing@lgl.bayern.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sing
authors.affiliation: National Consiliary Laboratory for Diphtheria, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinärstraße 2, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany.|Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Konrad
authors.affiliation: Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Dominik M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Meinel
authors.affiliation: Chemical and Veterinary Investigations Office Stuttgart, Fellbach, Germany.
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mauder
authors.affiliation: Chemical and Veterinary Investigations Office Stuttgart, Fellbach, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schwabe
authors.affiliation: Chemical and Veterinary Investigations Office Stuttgart, Fellbach, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sting
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003353:Corynebacterium diphtheriae; D004165:Diphtheria / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D005589:Foxes / Q000382:microbiology*; D005858:Germany; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Animals; Corynebacterium diphtheriae; Diphtheria; Historical review; Wildlife; Zoonosis