Diphtheria is transmitted from person to person, usually via respiratory droplets. The infection is caused by bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae. An infected person, unless treated with antibiotics, is infectious for two to three weeks.
Symptoms include sore throat, loss of appetite, and fever. The pseudomembrane is formed from waste products and proteins caused by the toxin secreted by the bacteria.
The pseudomembrane sticks to tissues and may obstruct breathing. The toxin itself may travel to the heart, muscle, kidneys, and liver, where it may temporarily or permanently damage these organs.
Complications from diphtheria may include myocarditis damage to the heart muscle , neuritis inflammation of nerves, which may contribute to nerve damage, paralysis, respiratory failure, and pneumonia , airway obstruction, and ear infection. Diphtheria treatment today involves use of antibiotics to kill the diphtheria bacteria plus antitoxin to neutralize the toxins secreted by the bacteria. Diphtheria patients are usually kept in isolation until they are no longer capable of infecting others, usually about 48 hours after antibiotic treatment begins.
The current U. Diphtheria skin infections can cause open sores or shallow ulcers. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Minus Related Pages. Diphtheria is an infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make toxin.
Diphtheria spreads from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing. It can also spread by touching open sores or ulcers of someone with a diphtheria skin infection.
Typically, the condition develops as follows:. If the bacterial infection affects tissues other than the throat and respiratory system, such as the skin, the illness is generally milder. This is because the body absorbs lower amounts of the toxin, especially if the infection only affects the skin. The infection can coexist with other infections and skin conditions and may look no different from eczema , psoriasis , or impetigo.
However, diphtheria in the skin can produce ulcers where there is no skin at the center with clear edges and sometimes grayish membranes. There are definitive tests for diagnosing a case of diphtheria, so if symptoms and history cause a suspicion of the infection, it is relatively straightforward to confirm the diagnosis. Doctors should be suspicious when they see the characteristic membrane, or patients have unexplained pharyngitis, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and low-grade fever.
Tissue samples taken from a patient with suspected diphtheria can be used to isolate the bacteria, which are then cultured for identification and tested for toxicity:. The tests may not be readily available, and so doctors may need to rely on a specialist laboratory. Treatment is most effective when given early, so a quick diagnosis is important. The antitoxin that is used cannot fight the diphtheria toxin once it has bound with the tissues and caused the damage.
Patients with respiratory diphtheria and symptoms would be treated in an intensive care unit in the hospital, and closely monitored. Healthcare staff may isolate the patient to prevent the spread of the infection. This will be continued until tests for bacteria repeatedly return negative results in the days following the completion of the course of antibiotics.
Vaccines are routinely used to prevent diphtheria infection in almost all countries. The vaccines are derived from a purified toxin that has been removed from a strain of the bacterium. Modern vaccination schedules include diphtheria toxoid in the childhood immunization, known as diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine DTaP.
This vaccine is the option of choice recommended by the U. If the fourth dose is given before the age of 4, this fifth, booster dose is recommended at 4 through 6 years of age.
However, this is not needed if the fourth primary dose was given on or after the fourth birthday. Booster doses of the adult form of the vaccine, tetanus-diphtheria toxoids vaccine Td , may be needed every 10 years to maintain immunity.
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