Adult Diphteria: Possible Transmission of Corynebacterium diphtheriae from Unvaccinated Child?

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Published: Jul 31, 2021
Keywords:
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTaP), Elek Test, Diphtheria Antitoxin

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Thenmalar Kandasamy
Department of Pathology, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
Fatimahtuz Zahrah Muhamad Damanhuri
Department of Pathology, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
Adillahtul Bushro Zaini
Department of Pathology, Hospital Sungai Buloh, Jalan Hospital 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia
Siti Zulaikha Zakariah
Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Rosni Ibrahim
Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract

A case of a toxigenic strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae in an immunocompetent adult is presented, with the pos- sibility of the adult acquiring the infection from her unvaccinated child. The abovementioned adult is a 29-year-old housewife who was previously immunised with diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP) vaccination in childhood, who presented fever, cough, sore throat, hoarseness of voice, odynophagia, and bilaterally enlarged tonsils. A throat swab confirmed the presence of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The patient was given 80,000 international units (IU) dose of diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) and treated with 2.4 million units (MU) QID intravenous penicillin and oral erythromycin 800 mg twice daily for two weeks. The patient responded well to the treatment and recovered with no cardiovascular or neurotoxicity.

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How to Cite
Kandasamy, T., Muhamad Damanhuri, F. Z., Bushro Zaini, A., Zakariah, S. Z., & Ibrahim, R. (2021). Adult Diphteria: Possible Transmission of Corynebacterium diphtheriae from Unvaccinated Child?. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 17(3), 311–314. Retrieved from http://mjmhsojs.upm.edu.my/index.php/mjmhs/article/view/442
Issue
Vol. 17 No. 3 (2021)
Section
Case Report

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