"Diphthera" redirects here. For the genus of moth, see Diphthera (moth).
Medical condition
Diphtheria
An adherent, dense, grey pseudomembrane covering the tonsils is classically seen in diphtheria.
Specialty
Infectious disease
Symptoms
Sore throat, fever, barking cough[1]
Complications
Myocarditis, Peripheral neuropathy, Proteinuria
Usual onset
2–5 days post-exposure[2]
Causes
Corynebacterium diphtheriae (spread by direct contact and through the air)[2]
Diagnostic method
Examination of throat, culture[1]
Prevention
Diphtheria vaccine[2]
Treatment
Antibiotics, tracheostomy[2]
Prognosis
5–10% risk of death
Frequency
4,500 (reported 2015)[3]
Deaths
2,100 (2015)[4]
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae.[2] Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%.[1] Signs and symptoms may vary from mild to severe,[1] and usually start two to five days after exposure.[2] Symptoms often develop gradually, beginning with a sore throat and fever.[1] In severe cases, a grey or white patch develops in the throat,[2][1] which can block the airway, and create a barking cough similar to what is observed in croup.[1] The neck may also swell, in part due to the enlargement of the facial lymph nodes.[2] Diphtheria can also involve the skin, eyes, or genitals, and can cause[2][1] complications, including myocarditis (which in itself can result in an abnormal heart rate), inflammation of nerves (which can result in paralysis), kidney problems, and bleeding problems due to low levels of platelets.[2]
Diphtheria is usually spread between people by direct contact, through the air, or through contact with contaminated objects.[2][5] Asymptomatic transmission and chronic infection are also possible.[2] Different strains of C. diphtheriae are the main cause in the variability of lethality,[2] as the lethality and symptoms themselves are caused by the exotoxin produced by the bacteria.[1] Diagnosis can often be made based on the appearance of the throat with confirmation by microbiological culture.[1] Previous infection may not protect against reinfection.[1]
A diphtheria vaccine is effective for prevention, and is available in a number of formulations.[2] Three or four doses, given along with tetanus vaccine and pertussis vaccine, are recommended during childhood.[2] Further doses of the diphtheria–tetanus vaccine are recommended every ten years.[2] Protection can be verified by measuring the antitoxin level in the blood.[2] Diphtheria can be prevented in those exposed, as well as treated with the antibiotics erythromycin or benzylpenicillin.[2]In severe cases a tracheotomy is sometimes needed to open the airway.[1]
In 2015, 4,500 cases were officially reported worldwide, down from nearly 100,000 in 1980.[3] About a million cases a year are believed to have occurred before the 1980s.[1] Diphtheria currently occurs most often in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Indonesia.[1][6] In 2015, it resulted in 2,100 deaths, down from 8,000 deaths in 1990.[4][7] In areas where it is still common, children are most affected.[1] It is rare in the developed world due to widespread vaccination, but can re-emerge if vaccination rates decrease.[1][8] In the United States, 57 cases were reported between 1980 and 2004.[2] Death occurs in 5–10% of those diagnosed.[2] The disease was first described in the 5th century BC by Hippocrates.[2] The bacterium was identified in 1882 by Edwin Klebs.[2]
^ abcdefghijklmnop"Diphtheria vaccine" (PDF). Wkly Epidemiol Rec. 81 (3): 24–32. 20 January 2006. PMID 16671240. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 June 2015.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvAtkinson, William (May 2012). Diphtheria Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (12 ed.). Public Health Foundation. pp. 215–230. ISBN 9780983263135. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016.
^ ab"Diphtheria". who.int. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
^ abGBD 2015 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators (8 October 2016). "Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015". Lancet. 388 (10053): 1459–1544. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31012-1. PMC 5388903. PMID 27733281.
^Kowalski, Wladyslaw (2012). Hospital airborne infection control. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 54. ISBN 9781439821961. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016.
^Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (8 ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences. 2014. p. 2372. ISBN 9780323263733. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016.
^GBD 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators (17 December 2014). "Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013". Lancet. 385 (9963): 117–71. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61682-2. PMC 4340604. PMID 25530442.
^Al, A. E. Paniz-Mondolfi et (2019). "Resurgence of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Venezuela as a Regional Public Health Threat in the Americas – Volume 25, Number 4 – April 2019 – Emerging Infectious Diseases journal – CDC". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 25 (4): 625–632. doi:10.3201/eid2504.181305. PMC 6433037. PMID 30698523.
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in...
infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus (lockjaw). The vaccine components include diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and...
Diphtheria toxin is an exotoxin secreted mainly by Corynebacterium diphtheriae but also by Corynebacterium ulcerans and Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis...
Diphtheria vaccine is a toxoid vaccine against diphtheria, an illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Its use has resulted in a more than 90% decrease...
Diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) is a medication made up of antibodies used in the treatment of diphtheria. It is no longer recommended for prevention of diphtheria...
as DTaP and Tdap, which contain diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines, and DT and Td, which contain diphtheria and tetanus vaccines. DTaP and DT...
Many cases of croup are preventable by immunization for influenza and diphtheria. Most cases of croup are mild and the patient can be treated at home with...
Corynebacterium diphtheriae is a gram-positive pathogenic bacterium that causes diphtheria. It is also known as the Klebs–Löffler bacillus because it was discovered...
known to cause diphtheria and diphtheria-like infections in patients. Previously thought to simply be contaminants recovered from diphtheria patients, “coryneform”...
Cutaneous diphtheria is an infection of the skin by Corynebacterium diphtheriae.: 265 It is also known as "desert sore". Diphtheria Skin lesion James...
Antitoxins to diphtheria and tetanus toxins were produced by Emil Adolf von Behring and his colleagues from 1890 onwards. The use of diphtheria antitoxin...
clinical effects of diphtheria were caused by diphtheria toxin and, following the 1890 discovery of an antitoxin-based immunity to diphtheria and tetanus by...
vaccines. The vaccine is only available in combination with tetanus and diphtheria vaccines. Pertussis vaccine is estimated to have saved over 500,000 lives...
preparation is also known as an anatoxin. There are toxoids for prevention of diphtheria, tetanus and botulism. Toxoids are used as vaccines because they induce...
Corynebacterium diphtheriae toxin, produced during life-threatening symptoms of diphtheria; tetanospasmin produced by Clostridium tetani. The toxic properties of...
for diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine, "DT" for diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and "Td" for tetanus and diphtheria toxoids...
The term usually refers to the children's vaccine that protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, haemophilus B, and hepatitis B, which...
increased significantly. Smallpox, typhus, plague, poliomyelitis, and diphtheria were eradicated by 1981. The Mongolian Red Cross Society focuses on preventive...
that field, for his discovery of a diphtheria antitoxin. He was widely known as a "saviour of children", as diphtheria used to be a major cause of child...
a decisive contribution to the development of an antiserum to combat diphtheria and conceived a method for standardizing therapeutic serums. In 1908,...
Contemporary Russian. Routledge. Galazkaa, Artur (2000). "Implications of the Diphtheria Epidemic in the Former Soviet Union for Immunization Programs". Journal...
many diseases, including diphtheria, rabies, scarlet fever, smallpox, influenza, and meningitis. Notably, a strain of diphtheria-causing bacteria that Williams...
the bacteriology of diphtheria. The University of Copenhagen awarded him a doctorate degree in 1895. He continued the diphtheria research at Blegdamshospitalet...
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