Epidemiological features of skin diphtheria infection in Rangoon, Burma.

A survey for skin diphtheria was carried out on 493 patients with skin lesions who were attending Veneral Diseases & Dermatology Clinic in Rangoon in 1971. 63.8% of the patients had C. diphtheriae in their skin lesions. All ages and both sexes were equally affected. Skin lesions yielding C. diphtheriae on culture were indistinguishable from those associated with other bacteria including ecthyma, pyoderma and secondarily infected with parasitic infections. Out of 108 strains tested 18.5% were found to be toxigenic, mainly intermedius. No toxigenic gravis strain was encountered. No relation existed between the type of lesion and the type or toxigenicity of the infecting strain. 75% of these toxigenic strains were isolated from children under 5 years of age. The phage types of toxigenic strains isolated were: II-IV, XII, Ph r, 8, 19-20, III, IVII and IV.