Abstract
Background/aim The aim of this study was to find out characteristics and patterns of the spread of Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolated from Jakarta and the surrounding areas, using the whole genome sequencing (WGS) technique and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) approach.Materials and methods The study samples consisted of 86 C. diphtheriae isolates, which were isolated from diphtheria patients and close contacts of patients. The DNA sequencing was carried out using the WGS technique. Data conversion applied the U-gene software. Molecular typing was conducted through the MLST approach, then followed by online data analysis. Results The results showed that as many as 43 (50%) of all samples examined were new types with the same allele profile, namely 9-1-13-4-3-3-4. New sequence type C. diphtheriae is registered in the MLST global database as ST534 based on the allele profile. The tox gene analysis in 43 isolates with ST534 indicated that there were three mutation positions, all of which were silent mutations.Conclusion The main cause of diphtheria in Jakarta and the surrounding areas is a new sequence type of C. diphtheriae registered as ST534.
Highlights
Diphtheria is an acute infectious disease which generally attacks the upper respiratory tract with the typical symptoms of pseudomembranous formation in the focal area of infection followed by a systemic picture due to diphtheria toxin [1,2]
New sequence type C. diphtheriae is registered in the multilocus sequence typing (MLST) global database as ST534 based on the allele profile
The main cause of diphtheria in Jakarta and the surrounding areas is a new sequence type of C. diphtheriae registered as ST534
Summary
Diphtheria is an acute infectious disease which generally attacks the upper respiratory tract with the typical symptoms of pseudomembranous formation in the focal area of infection followed by a systemic picture due to diphtheria toxin [1,2]. Diphtheria is still a significant health problem in many parts of the world, including Indonesia [3,4]. Data from the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) record that, in the past few years, Indonesia ranks as the second to fourth country in the world with the most cases of diphtheria [5,6]. The spread of the cases extends to almost all provinces. Cases of diphtheria even increased at the end of 2017 until the beginning of 2018. Most cases come from Jakarta and the surrounding areas (Banten and West Java) and East Java [7]
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