NTA Level 5 • Semester 1 • PST05103

Diphtheria

Pharmaceutical Microbiology • Source Session/Topic 16

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Session 16: Diphtheria

Total Session Time: 60 minutes

Pre-requisites

• Human anatomy and physiology

Students Learning Tasks

By The End Of This Session Students Are Expected To Be Able To:

• Describe Diptheria (causative agents, transmission, signs and

symptoms)

• Describe treatment, prevention and control of Diptheria

Resources Needed:

• Flip charts, marker pens, and masking tape

• Black/white board and chalk/whiteboard markers

SESSION OVERVIEW

SESSION CONTENTS

STEP 1: Presentation of Session Title and Learning Tasks (5 minutes)

READ or ASK students to read the learning tasks and clarify

ASK students if they have any questions before continuing

STEP 2: Cause and Transmission of Diphtheria (15 minutes)

• Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by Corynebacterium

diphtheriae

• The disease is directly transmitted from person to person by

respiratory droplets.

• Children between 1-5 years of age are most susceptible although non-

immune adults are also at risk.

• The disease primarily infects the throat and upper airways, and

produces a toxin affecting other organs

STEP 3: Signs and Symptoms of Diphtheria (15 minutes)

• There are two types of clinical diphtheria, nasopharyngeal and

cutaneous.

• Symptoms of pharyngeal diphtheria vary from mild pharyngitis to

hypoxia due to airway obstruction by the pseudomembrane

o The involvement of cervical lymph nodes may cause swelling of the

neck (bull neck diphtheria), and the patient may have a fever

• Symptoms of cutaneous diphtheria include lesions on the skin that are

usually covered by a gray-brown pseudomembrane.

• Life-threatening systemic complications, principally loss of motor

function (e.g., difficulty in swallowing) and congestive heart

failure, may develop as a result of the action of diphtheria toxin on

peripheral motor neurons and the myocardium.

•

STEP 4: Treatment, Prevention and Control of Diphtheria (15 minutes)

• Supportive therapy

o May need tracheotomy for airway obstruction

o Oxygen if airway obstruction is present

o NGT for feeding if patient is unable to swallow

• Medications

o Diphtheria antitoxin

o Penicillins e.g. penicillin V, Penicillin G

o Macrolides e.g. Erythromycin, Azithromycin

• Prevention and control

o Immunization

o Isolation of the sick

STEP 4: Key Points (5 minutes)

• Diphtheria is a contagious bacterial infection of the airways caused

by Corynebacterium diphtheriae

• The disease is transmitted through respiratory droplets from an

infected person

• The disease is treated by supportive therapy and provision of

medication including diphtheria antitoxin and antibiotics

• Isolation of the sick and immunization are key to prevention and

control of diphtheria

STEP 5: Evaluation (5 minutes)

• What is diphtheria?

• How is diphtheria transmitted?

• Who are more at risk?

References

Hugo and Russell (2011), Pharmaceutical Microbiology 8th Edition, Willey-

Blackwel publications

Karen C. Carroll et al (2013); Jawetz, Melnick and Adelberg’s Medical

Microbiology 26th Ed. McGraw Hill Co. Inc.

Greenwood et al (2012); Medical Microbiology, 18th edition Churchill

Livingstone

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