Acute streptococcal pharyngitis misdiagnosed as faucial diphtheria: a cautionary lesson.

A confirmed case of diphtheria has not been reported in Papua New Guinea for many years, though it should be considered dormant rather than extinct. Thus, most clinicians nowadays are unfamiliar with the classical features of the disease. We report a case of streptococcal pharyngitis which had several features of diphtheria leading to unnecessary and potentially harmful intervention. Some words of caution and various recommendations are made.