Upper respiratory tract and cutaneous diphtheria

With the global immunization programme of children there is a progressive decline in the number of diphtheria cases. It is a disease commonly affecting the children caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae usually affecting the mucous membrane of the nose, pharynx or larynx. Cutaneous diphtheria is a rare entity. We present a rare case of cutaneous diphtheria in a 15-year-old boy with nasal, pharyngeal and laryngeal involvement. The patient developed anaphylactic reaction to antidiphtheritic serum (ADS) during treatment, all of which were managed successfully.