Yleinen

12.06.2026 ambarkutufi

Diphtheria emerging in Australia

Since October 2025, diphtheria cases have been emerging in the Northern Territory of Australia. By April 2026, more than 70 new cases had been identified, and the epidemic situation remains ongoing. Most cases have been cutaneous diphtheria with relatively mild...

01.06.2026 ambarkutufi

Emerging Corynebacterium Threats: Antimicrobial Resistance, Advanced MALDI-TOF Diagnostics, and Novel Zoonotic Infections

Three new articles concerning antimicrobial resistance in Corynebacterium ulcerans, updated database to identify Corynebacterium diphtheriae species complex with MALDI-TOF, and emerging of Corynebacterium silvaticum with zoonotic potential has been recently published. All are important findings for the future. Below are...

31.03.2026 ambarkutufi

A novel study shows that pertactin deficient Bordetella pertussis strains have disappeared in Belgium

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bordetella pertussis strains deficient in pertactin (Prn) were increasing globally, particularly in countries using acellular pertussis vaccines. By 2017–2020, Prn-deficient B. pertussis strains constituted the majority of circulating isolates in Blegium. However, in the post-COVID-19...

16.03.2026 ambarkutufi

Global spread of macrolide-resistant B. pertussis after COVID-19 pandemic

A global resurgence of pertussis followed the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent study, the contribution of Bordetella pertussis genomic evolution to the postpandemic resurgence was investigated. The authors demonstrated shared and region-specific post- pandemic shifts in B. pertussis populations with...

17.02.2026 ambarkutufi

A novel version of diphtOscan available

A novel version of diphtOscan is available at https://gitlab.pasteur.fr/BEBP/diphtoscan. It is easier to install and to use on local computers. diphtOscan scans genomes of the Corynebacterium diphtheriae species complex and extracts information used for clinical and public health management, including diphtheria...

09.01.2026 ambarkutufi

Diphtheria antitoxin production and challenges revealed

Production of diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) has been decreasing within time as vaccines have led to very limited number of cases. However, we still see constant outbreaks and therefore the production and availability of DAT is essential. A recent article seizes...

19.12.2025 ambarkutufi

New genomic taxonomy unlocked for C. diphtheriae

We are happy to share the news that a cgMLST-based Life Identification Number (LIN) system for hierarchical taxonomy of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and related species has been published. This taxonomy is based on the analysis of over 1,600 genomes, and improves...

05.12.2025 ambarkutufi

Global Incidence of Pertussis After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Pertussis, like many other diseases, was very low during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, after the pandemic cases started to increase and then exploded. A new report on “global incidence of pertussis after the COVID-19 pandemic” has been published in the...

11.07.2025 ambarkutufi

Diphtheria outbreak in Germany

Our German colleagues (Anja Berger and Andreas Sing) have just published and important paper, where they show how respiratory diphtheria is transmitted to vulnerable individuals, and unfortunately causing death. Their results also show that a person with diphtheria of the...

09.07.2025 ambarkutufi

Rapid Risk Assessment on Dipththeria in Europe

ECDC has just published a Rapid Risk Assessment on Diphtheria caused by Corynebacteriumdiphtheriae ST574 in the EU/EEA. This is a concerning issue as this strain caused more than 300 cases only in 2022. You can find the document from here:...