{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T04:28:22Z","timestamp":1793766502774,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Wildlife Disease Association","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Corynebacterium ulcerans is a zoonotic pathogen causing cutaneous diphtheria. In Belgium, the bacterium is the cause of hedgehog diphtheric disease (HDD) that appears to have emerged from an endemic state within the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) population. In spring 2025, 11 hedgehogs admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation center were euthanized due to their severe condition. Blood was collected for anti-diphtheria toxin antibody detection, and lesion swabs (if present) and oral cavity swabs were taken, followed by necropsy. Of nine hedgehogs exhibiting HDD-like lesions, five were confirmed positive for C. ulcerans, with four animals harboring toxigenic strains. None of the 11 hedgehogs had detectable anti-diphtheria toxin titers. These findings suggest that although European hedgehogs in HDD-endemic regions are frequently exposed to C. ulcerans, the development of systemic antitoxin immunity remains uncertain and should be explored in larger studies that include healthy animals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.7589\/jwd-d-26-00043","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T04:19:06Z","timestamp":1793765946000},"page":"1043-1047","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Lack of Detectable Anti-Diphtheria Toxin Antibodies in European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) from a Corynebacterium ulcerans Hotspot"],"prefix":"10.7589","volume":"62","author":[{"given":"Val\u00e9rie","family":"Miserez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Wildlife Health Ghent, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Building 79, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke-Melle, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Naomi","family":"Terriere","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wildlife Health Ghent, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Building 79, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke-Melle, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Veronique","family":"Saey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wildlife Health Ghent, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Building 79, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke-Melle, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muriel","family":"Vervaeke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit Wildlife Disease Management, Department Nature Policy, Agency for Nature and Forests of the Flemish government, Koning Albert II-laan 15 bus 177, Brussels 1210, Belgium."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Frank","family":"Pasmans","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wildlife Health Ghent, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Building 79, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke-Melle, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"An","family":"Martel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Wildlife Health Ghent, Department of Pathobiology, Pharmacology and Zoological Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Building 79, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke-Melle, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"4415","reference":[{"key":"1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"V Carfora, F Scarampella, M Iurescia, et al.  \"J Vet Diagn Invest.\"  30, \"Non-toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans sequence types 325 and 339 isolated from two dogs with 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Diphtheria, update 2009. The immunological basis for immunization series. Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals.\"  28 (2009)"},{"key":"10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A Martel, F Boyen, J Rau, et al.  \"Emerg Infect Dis.\"  27, \"Widespread disease in hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) caused by toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans.\" 2686 (2021)","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2710.203335"}],"container-title":["Journal of Wildlife Diseases"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T04:19:09Z","timestamp":1793765949000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/bioone.org\/journals\/journal-of-wildlife-diseases\/volume-62\/issue-4\/JWD-D-26-00043\/Lack-of-Detectable-Anti-Diphtheria-Toxin-Antibodies-in-European-Hedgehogs\/10.7589\/JWD-D-26-00043.full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]]},"references-count":21,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7589\/jwd-d-26-00043","relation":{},"ISSN":["0090-3558","1943-3700"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0090-3558","type":"print"},{"value":"1943-3700","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]]}}}