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Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the bacterium that causes the disease called diphtheria. Bacteriophages introduce a gene into the bacterial cells that makes a strain toxigenic. The strains that are not infected with these viruses are harmless. [5] C. diphtheriae is a rod-shaped, Gram-positive, non spore-forming, and nonmotile bacterium. [17]
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]
Diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) is a medication made up of antibodies used in the treatment of diphtheria. [1] [2] It is no longer recommended for prevention of diphtheria. [2] [3] It is administered through injection into a vein or muscle. [2] Side effects are common. [3] They include serum sickness and allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. [2]
Diphtheria vaccine is a toxoid vaccine against diphtheria, an illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. [2] Its use has resulted in a more than 90% decrease in number of cases globally between 1980 and 2000. [3]
Diphtheria toxin is an exotoxin secreted mainly by Corynebacterium diphtheriae but also by Corynebacterium ulcerans and Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, the pathogenic bacterium that causes diphtheria. The toxin gene is encoded by a prophage [annotation 1] called corynephage β.
Corynebacterium (/ k ɔː ˈ r aɪ n ə b æ k ˌ t ɪər i ə m,-ˈ r ɪ n-/) is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria and most are aerobic. They are bacilli (rod-shaped), and in some phases of life they are, more specifically, club -shaped, which inspired the genus name ( coryneform means "club-shaped").
Well-known exotoxins include: botulinum toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum; Corynebacterium diphtheriae toxin, produced during life-threatening symptoms of diphtheria; tetanospasmin produced by Clostridium tetani. The toxic properties of most exotoxins can be inactivated by heat or chemical treatment to produce a toxoid.
Cutaneous diphtheria is an infection of the skin by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. [1]: 265 ...