Corynebacterium diphtheriae is commonly isolated from cutaneous skin lesions in the Northern Territory of Australia. We prospectively assessed 32 recent isolates from infected skin lesions, in addition to reviewing 192 isolates collected over 5 years for toxin status. No isolates carried the toxin gene. Toxigenic C. diphtheriae is now a rare occurrence in the Northern Territory. Corynebacterium diphtheriae is frequently isolated from cu-taneous lesions in tropical areas, including the north of Aus-tralia and the central Australian desert region (2, 14), geo-graphical areas that are part of the Northern Territory (NT). Toxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae are the causative agent of respiratory diphtheria, but strains of C. diphtheriae isolated from cutaneous lesions can be either toxigenic or nontoxigenic (18) and pathogens or colonizers. Cutaneous diphtheria, caused by toxigenic strains, can act as a reservoir for respira-tory diphtheria (1, 8). Infections with nontoxigenic C. diphthe-riae occur in patients subsisting in low socioeconomic condi-