Diphtheria is highly contagious. It passes easily from an infected person to others through sneezing, coughing, or even laughing. It also can spread to someone who picks up tissues or drinking glasses that were used by an infected person. People infected with the diphtheria bacteria, even if they don't have any symptoms, can infect others for up to 4 weeks.
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. Children and adults with diphtheria are treated in a hospital. After a doctor confirms the diagnosis through a throat culture , the infected person gets a special anti-toxin, given through injections or an IV , to neutralize the diphtheria toxin already circulating in the body, plus antibiotics to kill the remaining diphtheria bacteria.
People with an advanced infection may need a ventilator to help them breathe. If the toxin may have spread to the heart, kidneys, or central nervous system, patients may need IV fluids, oxygen, or heart medicines. A person with diphtheria must be isolated. Family members and other close contacts 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 treat everyone in the household who may have been exposed to the bacteria.
The classic case of diphtheria is an upper respiratory infection caused by bacteria. It produces a gray pseudomembrane, or a covering that looks like a membrane, over the lining of the nose and throat, around the area of the tonsils.
This pseudomembrane may also be greenish or blueish, and even black if there has been bleeding. Children with a diphtheria infection in a cavity behind the nose and mouth are more likely to have the following early features:. After a person is first infected with the bacteria, there is an average incubation period of 5 days before early signs and symptoms appear. After the initial symptoms have appeared, within 12 to 24 hours, a pseudomembrane will begin to form if the bacteria are toxic, leading to:.
If the membrane extends to the larynx, hoarseness and a barking cough are more likely, as is the danger of complete obstruction of the airway. The membrane may also extend further down the respiratory system toward the lungs. Potentially life-threatening complications can occur if the toxin enters the bloodstream and damages other vital tissues. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle. It can lead to heart failure, and the greater the degree of bacterial infection, the higher the toxicity to the heart.
Myocarditis might cause abnormalities that are only apparent on a heart monitor, but it has the potential to cause sudden death. Heart problems usually appear 10 to 14 days after the start of the infection, although problems can take weeks to appear.
Heart problems associated with diphtheria include:. Neuritis is inflammation of nerve tissue that results in damage to nerves. This complication is relatively uncommon and usually appears after a severe respiratory infection with diphtheria.
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. Diphtheria Vaccines Diphtheria vaccines are very good at preventing this serious infection. Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Whooping Cough Vaccination: What Everyone Should Know This webpage offers comprehensive information about diphtheria vaccines, including types and how well they work.
Information for Healthcare Professionals These webpages give vaccine recommendations and contraindications; composition, immunogenicity, and efficacy; storage and handling; and administration details. Difteria: Lo que debe saber. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
Diphtheria demands immediate medical attention; any delay in treatment can result in death. A person with diphtheria should be hospitalized, isolated and treated with diphtheria antitoxin and antibiotics, such as penicillin and erythromycin. Untreated patients who are infected with the diphtheria germ may be contagious for up to four weeks.
If the patient is treated appropriately, the contagious period can be limited to less than four days. Diphtheria vaccine for children is combined with tetanus and acellular pertussis to form a triple vaccine known as DTaP diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis. In , a new vaccine was approved as a single booster vaccination for adolescents and adults called Tdap tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis. Td tetanus and diphtheria is also a vaccine used as a booster vaccination in adolescents and adults, however, it does not contain the pertussis vaccine.
DTaP should be given at two, four, six, 15 to 18 months of age, and between four and six years of age. The preferred age for Tdap vaccination is 11 to 12 years. However, all adolescents aged 11 to 18 years should receive a single dose of Tdap instead of the Td for booster immunization if they have completed the recommended childhood DTaP vaccination series and have not received Td or Tdap. An interval of five years between Td and Tdap is encouraged; however an interval of less than five years between Td and Tdap administration can be used.
Thereafter, Td should be given every ten years to maintain immunity. Adults aged 19 to 64 years should receive a single dose of Tdap to replace a single dose of Td for active booster vaccination if they received their last dose of Td greater than ten years earlier.
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