Diphtheria: forgotten, but not gone

Abstract

Diphtheria is an acute, highly infectious, vaccine-preventable and previously endemic disease whose etiologic agent is Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Diphtheria may manifest as an upper respiratory tract infection, a cutaneous infection or as an asymptomatic carrier state. The most common sites of infection are the pharynx and the tonsils, with common clinical manifestations that include sore throat, malaise, cervical lymphadenopathy and low-grade fever. Absorption and dissemination of C. diphtheriae from the respiratory tract can cause disseminated infection and may lead to cardiac or neurological toxicity. The cornerstone of treatment for diphtheria is diphtheria antitoxin. Early treatment is critical as the degree of protection is inversely proportional to the duration of the illness before its administration. Routine childhood vaccination virtually eliminated diphtheria in most industrialised countries. However, in the pre-vaccination era, diphtheria was the most common infectious cause of death in Australia. A case of diphtheria in Brisbane in April 2011 and two recent positive cultures in regional Victoria underscore the need for heightened awareness of C. diphtheriae as an important pathogen. In order to prevent the re-emergence of diphtheria in Australia, public health measures are required to increase immunity in early school leavers and the adult population, and to ensure that travellers to endemic regions are fully immunised. Health policy-makers and clinicians alike should not underestimate the importance of primary vaccination and booster vaccination against diphtheria among healthy adults and travellers.

Genome-wide comparison of toxigenic and non-toxigenicCorynebacterium diphtheriaeisolates identifies differences in the pan genomes between respiratory and cutaneous strains

“…Diphtheria was the number one cause of infant death prior to the introduction of toxoid vaccines and since this time, infection with Corynebacterium diphtheriae , the causative agent of diphtheria, has been a rare challenge in the developed world (1). Toxin-negative isolates of C. diphtheriae have been revealed to be associated with prosthetic and native valve endocarditis and significantly, have been increasingly detected in clinical samples (2, 3).…”

Bioactive triterpenoids, antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of Eclipta prostrata Linn.

“…Although this disease can cause high fatality rate, however, DPT vaccine has been generated for a successful protection. Nevertheless, this disease is not disappear because of the unvaccinated people in some developing countries (Adler et al, 2013;Meera et al, 2014). S. pyogenes is the most common causative agent of bacterial pharyngitis.…”

Microorganism-ionizing respirator with reduced breathing resistance suitable for removing airborne bacteria

“…Recent airborne pathogenic viral outbreaks such as severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 and middle east respiratory syndrome in 2015, managed to spread across tens of countries causing multiple deaths [2][3][4][5]. In addition to viruses, there arehighly contagious airborne bacteria that can be transmitted person-to-person, causing diseases such as whooping cough (Bordetella pertussis), diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae), and tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) [6][7][8]. In the 1990 s, there were over 20 million cases of whooping cough worldwide, resulting in over 200,000 deaths [9].…”