A History of Medicine, part 5 EuropeNews, Denmark - Nov 25, 2008 Finally, he was able to produce a 'weak' form that could be used to produce a vaccine. On May 5, 1881, he injected twenty-four sheep, a goat and six cattle ...
Ars Medicina: Quo Vadis? Mauritius Times, Mauritius - Nov 14, 2008 The work of Lavoisier (1744-94) on respiration and exercise, as well as the invention in 1796 of vaccination by Jenner (1749-1823) paved the way for ...
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Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: diphtheria + 2,370,000 + 0.18 Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/7/2008)
Vaccinations part of school preparations Clanton Advertiser, AL - Vaccinations currently required for school entry are polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. ...
Back-to-school checkups Jacksonville Journal-Courier, IL - Aug 5, 2008 Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), meningococcal and HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines are not required for adolescents at this time, ...
Back to School Vaccines WSIL TV, IL - Aug 5, 2008 "So that he won't get any diseases, like measles or diphtheria, or polio, anything like that," said Alan's mom Doris. Vaccines are required children ...
Free adult immunizations News-Journal.com, TX - Aug 5, 2008 The department also offers diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis vaccines and varicellas, or chicken pox vaccines.
Savvy Senior - Seniors need vaccinations too Corsicana Daily Sun, TX - Aug 4, 2008 However, if you are 65 or older, get a tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster shot instead of the 3-in-1 Tdap vaccine. Neither vaccine is covered by Medicare, ...
? Kroger offers more immunizations WNWO, OH - Aug 5, 2008 The chain will now offer immunizations against Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, bacterial meningitis, Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and pneumonia ...KR
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The crystal structure of diphtheria toxin - S Choe, MJ Bennett, G Fujii, PMG Curmi, KA … - Nature, 1992 - palgrave-journals.com Nature 357, 216 - 222 (21 May 1992); doi:10.1038/357216a0. The crystal
structure of diphtheria toxin. Seunghyon Choe * , Melanie J ...
Diphtheria toxin entry into cells is facilitated by low pH - K Sandvig - The Journal of Cell Biology, 1980 - Rockefeller Univ Press ... ARTICLES. Diphtheria toxin entry into cells is facilitated by low pH. ... At neutral
pH, NH4Cl and chloroquine protected cells against diphtheria toxin. ...
Nucleotide sequence of the structural gene for diphtheria toxin carried by corynebacteriophage beta. - L Greenfield, MJ Bjorn, G Horn, D Fong, GA Buck, … - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the …, 1983 - pubmedcentral.nih.gov ... Copyright notice. Nucleotide sequence of the structural gene for diphtheria toxin
carried by corynebacteriophage beta. ... Pappenheimer AM Jr. Diphtheria toxin. ...
Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that spreads easily and occurs quickly. It mainly affects the nose and throat. Children under 5 years old and adults over 60 are particularly at risk for contracting the infection. People living in crowded or unclean conditions, those that aren't well nourished, and children and adults who don't have up-to-date immunizations are also at risk.
Diphtheria is rare in the United States and Europe, where health officials have been immunizing children against it for decades. However, it's still common in developing countries where immunizations aren't given routinely. In 1993 and 1994, more than 50,000 cases were reported during a serious outbreak of diphtheria in countries of the former Soviet Union.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms?
In its early stages, diphtheria can be mistaken for a bad sore throat. A low- grade fever and swollen neck glands are the other early symptoms.
The toxin, or poison, caused by the bacteria can lead to a thick coating in the nose, throat, or airway. This coating is usually fuzzy gray or black and can cause breathing problems and difficulty in swallowing. The formation of this coating (or membrane) in the nose, throat, or airway makes a diphtheria infection different from other more common infections (such as strep throat) that cause sore throat.
As the infection progresses, the person may:
have difficulty breathing or swallowing
complain of double vision
have slurred speech
even show signs of going into shock (skin that's pale and cold, rapid heartbeat, sweating, and an anxious appearance)
In cases that progress beyond a throat infection, diphtheria toxin spreads through the bloodstream and can lead to potentially life-threatening complications that affect other organs of the body, such as the heart and kidneys. The toxin can cause damage to the heart that affects its ability to pump blood or the kidneys' ability to clear wastes. It can also cause nerve damage, eventually leading to paralysis. Up to 40% to 50% of those who don't get treated can die.
Can It Be Prevented?
Preventing diphtheria depends almost completely on immunizing children with the diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTP or DTaP) vaccine and non-immunized adults with the diphtheria/tetanus vaccine (DT). Most cases of diphtheria occur in people who haven't received the vaccine at all or haven't received the entire course.
The immunization schedule calls for:
DTaP vaccines at 2, 4, and 6 months of age
booster doses given at 12 to 18 months
booster doses given again at 4 to 6 years
booster shots given every 10 years after that to maintain protection
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Is It Contagious?
Diphtheria is highly contagious. It's easily passed from the infected person to others through sneezing, coughing, or even laughing. It can also be spread to others who pick up tissues or drinking glasses that have been used by the infected person.
People who have been infected by the diphtheria bacteria can infect others for up to 4 weeks, even if they don't have any symptoms. The incubation period (the time it takes for a person to become infected after being exposed) for diphtheria is 2 to 4 days, although it can range from 1 to 6 days.
How Is It Treated?
Children and adults with diphtheria are treated in a hospital. After a doctor confirms the diagnosis through a throat culture, the infected person receives a special anti-toxin, given through injections or through an IV, to neutralize the diphtheria toxin already circulating in the body, as well as antibiotics to kill the remaining diphtheria bacteria.
If the infection is advanced, people with diphtheria may need a ventilator to help them to breathe. In cases in which the toxins may have spread to the heart, kidneys, or central nervous system, patients may need intravenous fluids, oxygen, or heart medications.
A person with diphtheria must also be isolated. Family members (as well as others who spend a lot of time with the person with diphtheria) who haven't been immunized, or who are very young or elderly, must be protected from contact with the patient.
When someone is diagnosed with diphtheria, the doctor will notify the local health department and will take steps to treat everyone in the household who may have been exposed to the bacteria. This will include assessment of immune status, throat cultures, and booster doses of the diphtheria vaccine. They will also receive antibiotics as a precaution.
Immediate hospitalization and early intervention allows most patients to recover from diphtheria. After the antibiotics and anti-toxin have taken effect, someone with diphtheria will need bed rest for a while (4 to 6 weeks, or until full recovery). Bed rest is particularly important if the person's heart has been affected by the disease. Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, can be a complication of diphtheria.
Those who have recovered should still receive a full course of the diphtheria vaccine to prevent a recurrence because contracting the disease doesn't guarantee lifetime immunity.
When to Call Your Child's Doctor
Call your doctor immediately if you or your child has symptoms of diphtheria, if you observe symptoms in someone else, if anyone in your family is exposed to diphtheria, or if you think that you or a family member is at risk. It's important to remember, though, that most throat infections are not diphtheria, especially in countries that have routine immunizations against it.
If you're not sure if your child has been vaccinated against diphtheria, make an appointment. Also make sure your own booster immunizations are current. International studies have shown that a significant percentage of adults over 40 years of age aren't adequately protected against diphtheria and tetanus.
