Infections associated with nontoxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae:
(1) chronic skin ulceration (ecthyma diphthericum) and other skin infections
(2) upper respiratory tract infection
(3) endocarditis
(4) septic arthritis
(5) surgical site infection
(6) suppurative lymphadenopathy
People at increased risk:
(1) comorbid medical conditions
(2) poor or marginalized populations
(3) travelers, especially in the tropics
(4) trauma including abrasions
Barriers to detection:
(1) failure to consider
(2) failure to culture and identify
Differential diagnosis:
(1) toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae
(2) other pathogenic species of Corynebacteria
(3) diphtheroid skin contaminants
