GenEpi-BioTrain - Virtual training 15 - Focus on the Agents of Diphtheria

Topic outline

• Focus on the Agents of Diphtheria (GenEpi-BioTrain — Virtual Training 15)

  Focus on the Agents of Diphtheria (GenEpi-BioTrain — Virtual Training 15)

  ℹ️ Please Note

  You are welcome to explore the available resources and video recordings. Please note that the resources in this course come from the Virtual Training 15 held in March 2025, and certificates are only issued to participants who attended the live webinar sessions.

  Welcome to this virtual training space on EVA.

  Below you will see the two online sessions and their support materials.

  In anticipation for the live sessions, we encourage participants to:

  1. Explore the materials available; 

  2. Install the software indicated below;

  3. Suggest topics of interest for future virtual trainings

  • The practical exercises presented in Session 1 should be completed between Session 1 and Session 2. The answers will be provided at the beginning of Session 2.
    An announcement will be made once the datasets and materials for the exercise are available.

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  Aim and Objectives

  Aim and Objectives

  The aim of this virtual training is to provide participants with in-depth knowledge of the agents causing diphtheria, and their diagnosis, clinical definition, antibiotic resistance and taxonomy. Diphtheria surveillance, vaccination strategies, and treatment protocols will also be covered. This webinar will also allow participants to gain practical bioinformatics skills for genotyping C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans strains.

  
  

  Upon completing this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Understand which are the causative agents of diphtheria

  • Learn about diagnostic techniques and clinical definition of diphtheria
  • Perform genotyping of C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans strains for epidemiological surveillance and outbreak investigation
  • Understand antibiotic resistance breakpoints and resistance patterns of diphtheria agents.
  • Understand diphtheria surveillance at national and international scales
  • Gain knowledge about prevention, case management and transmission control approaches, including vaccination, antibiotic treatment and diphtheria antitoxin use.
• Delivery

  Delivery
  Format

  This virtual training takes place over two sessions that will be held on 5 and 7 March 2025 from 9:30 (CET) to 12:30 (CET).

  
  

  Outline

  Session 1: Introduction to Diphtheria agents and their genomic diversity

  Part 1: Introduction to Diphtheria Agents

  Part 2: Diphtheria Genomics and Molecular Epidemiology

  
  

  Session 2: Surveillance and Public Health Impact

  Part 1: Correction of Practical Exercises 

  Part 2: Outbreak response and eDAT procurement challenges

  Part 3: Diphtheria Surveillance

  
  

  
  
• Agenda

  Agenda
  • FileAgenda

    
    

• Software requirements

  Software requirements

  No specific software installations are required as only online tools will be used, such as:
  

  • BIGSdb: https://bigsdb.pasteur.fr/diphtheria/ 

  You need to register on BIGSdb and on the Corynebacteria database, by following these instructions: https://bigsdb.pasteur.fr/register/
  
• Session 1: Introduction to Diphtheria agents and their genomic diversity

  Session 1: Introduction to Diphtheria agents and their genomic diversity

  1. Introduction to Diphtheria Agents (90 min)

  A. Clinical and Diagnostics aspects  (30 min) — Dr. Sylvie Jonckheere, MSF, Belgium 

  — Overview of diagnostic techniques and clinical presentation of diphtheria

  B. Methods and breakpoints for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans (30 min) —  Dr. Erika Matuschek, Head of EUCAST Development Laboratory (EDL), Växjö, Sweden

  — Introduction to EUCAST methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans 

  — Important aspects of the methodology

  — Explanation of the development of EUCAST breakpoints for C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans 

  C. Pathogens: Taxonomy of species and strain diversity (30 min) — Pr. Sylvain Brisse, Institut Pasteur, France

  — Taxonomy of C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans, their strains, and their genomic characteristics

  2. Diphtheria Genomics and molecular epidemiology (Practical Exercises) (60 min) — Speaker: Pr. Sylvain Brisse, Institut Pasteur, France 

  A. Bacterial Strain Nomenclature and Epidemiological Tracking (30 min)

  — Genotyping methods

  — Taxonomy of strains based on LIN codes (Life Identification Numbers)

  — Applications in epidemiological surveillance

  B. Practical Exercise: Genotyping of C. diphtheriae Strains (30 min)

  — Presentation of tools (live demonstration)

  — Exercises (to be done by participants between the first and second sessions)

  • S1 - Select the checkbox to the right once you have completed watching the recorded session
    

  • Lectures

  • FolderLectures
  • Practical

    Here you can find the practical exercises that should be completed before Session 2. Answers will be given at the beginning of Session 2.
    

  • FilePractical BIGSdb Diphtheria
  • FolderDatasets
• Session 2: Surveillance and Public Health Impact
  This topic

  Session 2: Surveillance and Public Health Impact
  • Opening of session 2 - Theresa Enkirch
  • 1. Correction of Practical Exercises (30 min)
    

    — Speaker: Pr. Sylvain Brisse, Institut Pasteur, France

    — Live demonstration of the correction of practical exercises
  • FileAnswers to Practical Exercises
  • 2. Outbreak response and eDAT procurement challenges (45 min) 
    

    — Speaker: M. Julien Potet, MSF, France 

    — Vaccine, antitoxin, treatments

    — Recent experiences in Bangladesh and in West Africa
  • FilePresentation - Outbreak response and eDAT procurement challenges - Julien Potet - 07-03-2025
  • 3. Diphtheria Surveillance (45 min)

  • 3.A. National Reference Center in France (30 min), diphtheria resurgence and EURL-PH-DIPE (Activities for 2025-2031) 

    — Speaker: Pr. Sylvain Brisse, Institut Pasteur, France
  • FileNational Reference Center in France, diphtheria resurgence and EURL-PH-DIPE (Activities for 2025-2031)
  • 3.B. ECDC Diphtheria Genomic Surveillance and the 2022-2023 European diphtheria event (30 min) 

    — Speakers from ECDC, Sweden : 

    • Dr. Andreas Hoefer and 
    • M. Jordi Borrell Pique
  • FilePresentation: European surveillance of diphtheria - 07March25, Jordi Pique - ECDC
  • FilePresentation: Diphtheria Genomic Surveillance and the 2022-2023 European Diphtheria event 07March25, Andreas Hoefer - ECDC
• Contacts

  Contacts

  For any questions regarding the this webinar series, please use the discussion forum.

  If you have questions regarding other training initiatives please contact: courses@ecdc.europa.eu.

  If you have technical issues please contact ECDC Helpdesk - ICT Front Office ICT.FrontOffice@ecdc.europa.eu.