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Diphtheria (Corynebacterium Diphtheriae) - College Paper

Diphtheria (Corynebacterium Diphtheriae)


Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae)
Corynebacteria are Gram-positive, aerobic, nonmotile, rod-shaped bacteria
related to the Actinomycetes. They do not form spores or branch as do the
actinomycetes, but they have the characteristic of forming irregular shaped,
club-shaped or V-shaped arrangements in normal growth. They undergo snapping
movements just after cell division which brings them into characteristic
arrangements resembling Chinese letters.

The genus Corynebacterium consists of a diverse group of bacteria including
animal and plant pathogens, as well as saprophytes. Some corynebacteria are part
of the normal flora of humans, finding a suitable niche in virtually every
anatomic ...

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Corynebacterium diphtheriae traces closely the development of
medical microbiology, immunology and molecular biology. Many contributions to
these fields, as well as to our understanding of host-bacterial interactions,
have been made studying diphtheria and the diphtheria toxin.

Hippocrates provided the first clinical description of diphtheria in the 4th
century B.C. There are also references to the disease in ancient Syria and Egypt.


In the 17th century, murderous epidemics of diphtheria swept Europe; in Spain
"El garatillo" (the strangler"), in Italy and Sicily, "the gullet disease".

In the 18th century, the disease reached the American colonies and reached
epidemic proportions in 1735. Often, whole families died of the disease in a few
weeks.

The bacterium that caused diphtheria was first described by Klebs in 1883, and
was cultivated by Loeffler in 1884, who applied Koch's postulates and properly
identified Corynebacterium diphtheriae as the agent of the disease.

In 1884, ...

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the
antitoxin mixture was horse serum, the components of which tended to be
allergenic and to sensitize individuals to the serum.

In 1913, Schick designed a skin test as a means of determining susceptibility or
immunity to diphtheria in humans. Diphtheria toxin will cause an inflammatory
reaction when very small amounts are injected intracutaneously. The Schick Test
involves injecting a very small dose of the toxin under the skin of the forearm
and evaluating the injection site after 48 hours. A positive test (inflammatory
reaction) indicates susceptibility (nonimmunity). A negative test (no reaction)
indicates immunity (antibody neutralizes toxin).

In 1929, Ramon demonstrated the ...

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Diphtheria (Corynebacterium Diphtheriae). (2005, June 26). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Diphtheria-Corynebacterium-Diphtheriae/29139
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"Diphtheria (Corynebacterium Diphtheriae)." Essayworld.com. June 26, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Diphtheria-Corynebacterium-Diphtheriae/29139.
"Diphtheria (Corynebacterium Diphtheriae)." Essayworld.com. June 26, 2005. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Diphtheria-Corynebacterium-Diphtheriae/29139.
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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 6/26/2005 09:08:19 PM
Category: Health & Medicine
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 2464
Pages: 9

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