What is the main cause of diphtheria?
Diphtheria is a serious infection caused by strains of bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheriae that make a toxin (poison). It is the toxin that can cause people to get very sick. Diphtheria bacteria spread from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing.
How is diptheria treated?
Treatment
- Antibiotics. Antibiotics, such as penicillin or erythromycin, help kill bacteria in the body, clearing up infections.
- An antitoxin. If a doctor suspects diphtheria, he or she will request a medication that counteracts the diphtheria toxin in the body.
What organs does diphtheria affect?
Diphtheria can infect the respiratory tract (parts of the body involved in breathing) and skin. In the respiratory tract, it causes a thick, gray coating to build up in the throat or nose.
Can diphtheria be cured?
Before antibiotics were available, diphtheria was a common illness in young children. Today, the disease is not only treatable but also preventable with a vaccine. The diphtheria vaccine is usually combined with vaccines for tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis).
Where is diphtheria found in the body?
Diphtheria can infect the respiratory tract (parts of the body involved in breathing) and skin. In the respiratory tract, it causes a thick, gray coating to build up in the throat or nose. This coating can make it hard to breathe and swallow. Diphtheria skin infections can cause open sores or shallow ulcers.
Where is diphtheria most commonly found?
Endemic in many countries in Asia, the South Pacific, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
What country did diphtheria come from?
The diphtheria bacterium was first identified in the 1880s and in the 1890s diphtheria antitoxin was developed in Germany to treat victims of the disease.
Can a man’s sperm make a woman smell fishy?
Can a man’s sperm make a woman smell fishy? Not likely. As we’ve said, our vagina is a self-cleaning system, and it’s perfectly capable of handling semen. Semen does have a slight odor to it, but it’s often described as smelling slightly like bleach or chlorine.