A new bacteria that can cause diphtheria, a disease that manifests itself as “diphtheria angina”, has been determined by the Pasteur Institute.
- The Pasteur Institute has identified a new species of bacteria responsible for diphtheria.
- For a very long time, the species Corynebacterium ramoni was confused with the bacterium Corynebacterium ulcerans.
- The diphtheria vaccine is mandatory for all infants whether born before or after January 1, 2018.
Diphtheria is a serious illness caused by several species of corynebacteria including bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Corynebacterium belfantii, Corynebacterium rouxii or Corynebacterium ulcerans. In a statement published on October 6, the Pasteur Institute announced that it had identified a new bacterial species that could cause the disease: Corynebacterium ramonii.
Corynebacterium ramonii : potential human-to-human transmission
According to the researchers, the species Corynebacterium ramoni was confused with bacteria Corynebacterium ulcerans “It is therefore not an emerging species of corynebacterium (…) It is a newly described species, which is genetically distinct from Corynebacterium ulcerans, but we have archives of infections by this species dating back to the 1950s “underlined Sylvain Brisse, head of the Biodiversity and epidemiology of pathogenic bacteria and National reference center (CNR) for diphtheriaat the Pasteur Institute.
Highly contagious, infection with Corynebacterium diphtheriae is transmitted by air during direct contact with patients or healthy carriers, while infection with Corynebacterium ulcerans is transmitted by ingestion of raw milk contaminated with this bacteria or by contact with pets (dogs, cats, etc.). Human-to-human transmission has never been proven for infections. Corynebacterium ulcerans. As for the new species determined by the Pasteur Institute, researchers hypothesized that the infection could be transmitted from human to human, “unlike Corynebacterium ulcerans with which it was confused and which is transmitted by animals”noted Chiara Crestani, who led the analyzes of this new species.
Guaranteed vaccine protection against this new species of corynebacteria
Following the incubation period of two to five days, the pathology can manifest itself as diphtheria angina, i.e. pharyngitis, fever, neck swelling and headache. Diphtheria therefore develops in the throat, and produces a substance called “toxin”, which can be responsible for serious complications such as cardiac or neurological damage.
To protect against the risks of diphtheria, vaccination against this condition is compulsory for all infants whether born before or after January 1, 2018. Two injections are given at the age of two and four months, and a booster is given. administered at eleven months. Boosters are then carried out at the age of 6, then between 11 and 13 years for children, and at the age of 25 years, 45 years, 65 years, then every 10 years in adults.
However, is the vaccine effective against the bacteria? Corynebacterium ramonii ? According to scientists, the answer is yes. “The diphtheria toxin produced by Corynebacterium ramonii is very close to that targeted by the diphtheria vaccine, its protection therefore also covers this new species (…) For the same reasons, scientists have little reason to believe that infection by this new bacteria causes different symptoms than usual diphtheria, and it also does not appear to have resistance to antibiotics.”we can read in the Institut Pasteur document.
