BACTERIAL TRACHEITIS CAUSED BY CORYNEBACTERIUM-DIPHTHERIAE

Diphtheria has become a rare disease in Germany. We report on an unimm unized 3.5-year-old German girl with a 7-day history of respiratory di stress and fever, presenting a clinical picture mimicking typical bact erial tracheitis without pharyngeal and laryngeal manifestation. Diagn osis of diphtheria was not made until culture of tracheal secretions y ielded growth of a toxigenic strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Th e patient died from toxic cardiac failure despite treatment with dipht heria antitoxin. This is the second reported case of isolated bacteria l tracheitis caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Conclusion The obs ervation of a lethal course of diphtheric tracheitis emphasizes the pa ramount importance of immunization against diseases like diphtheria.