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A Case Of Fatal Diphtheria In A Paediatric Patient

The introduction of diphtheria immunisation into the Expanded Program of Immunisation in the 1970s has markedly reduced the incidence of diphtheria diseases. We report a case of fatal diphtheria in a 2 year-old girl whose immunisation status was not known. She had presented with acute exudative to...

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Main Authors: Rashid, Zetti Zainol, Mohamed, Nurul Azmawati, Swee Fong, Tang
Format: Articel
Language:English
Published: Internet Scientific Publications 2016
Subjects:
Diphtheria vaccines
Online Access:http://ddms.usim.edu.my:80/jspui/handle/123456789/12085
http://print.ispub.com/api/0/ispub-article/32981
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spelling my.usim-120852017-02-15T07:08:31Z A Case Of Fatal Diphtheria In A Paediatric Patient Rashid, Zetti Zainol Mohamed, Nurul Azmawati Swee Fong, Tang Diphtheria vaccines The introduction of diphtheria immunisation into the Expanded Program of Immunisation in the 1970s has markedly reduced the incidence of diphtheria diseases. We report a case of fatal diphtheria in a 2 year-old girl whose immunisation status was not known. She had presented with acute exudative tonsillitis and was treated with intravenous amoxicillin-clavulanate but showed progressive signs of upper airway obstruction; stridor, drooling of saliva and bull-neck appearance, with bilateral facial swelling around the parotid region that extended to submental and submandibular regions. Initial cultures from blood, throat, nasal and oral cavity revealed no significant organisms. Corynebacterium diphtheriae subspecies gravis which was resistant to penicillin, was isolated from pus specimen a day after her demise. Clinical suspicion is important to aid diagnosis, microbiological confirmation and management of diphtheria, as the disease is rare in the era of successful immunisation programs. Microbiological vigilance plays an important role in early detection of infection as well as outbreaks. Early institution of diphtheria antitoxin may save lives, while delay in diagnosis may increase mortality and the risk of transmission. This case reaffirms the vital role of immunisation and the importance of efforts to ensure a high uptake of the scheduled immunisations. 2016-07-04T05:16:48Z 2016-07-04T05:16:48Z 2015 Articel The Internet Journal of Microbiology. 2015 Volume 14 Number 1. 1937-8289 http://ddms.usim.edu.my:80/jspui/handle/123456789/12085 http://print.ispub.com/api/0/ispub-article/32981 en Internet Scientific Publications
institution Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
building USIM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universit Sains Islam i Malaysia
content_source USIM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://ddms.usim.edu.my/
language English
topic Diphtheria vaccines
spellingShingle Diphtheria vaccines
Rashid, Zetti Zainol
Mohamed, Nurul Azmawati
Swee Fong, Tang
A Case Of Fatal Diphtheria In A Paediatric Patient
description The introduction of diphtheria immunisation into the Expanded Program of Immunisation in the 1970s has markedly reduced the incidence of diphtheria diseases. We report a case of fatal diphtheria in a 2 year-old girl whose immunisation status was not known. She had presented with acute exudative tonsillitis and was treated with intravenous amoxicillin-clavulanate but showed progressive signs of upper airway obstruction; stridor, drooling of saliva and bull-neck appearance, with bilateral facial swelling around the parotid region that extended to submental and submandibular regions. Initial cultures from blood, throat, nasal and oral cavity revealed no significant organisms. Corynebacterium diphtheriae subspecies gravis which was resistant to penicillin, was isolated from pus specimen a day after her demise. Clinical suspicion is important to aid diagnosis, microbiological confirmation and management of diphtheria, as the disease is rare in the era of successful immunisation programs. Microbiological vigilance plays an important role in early detection of infection as well as outbreaks. Early institution of diphtheria antitoxin may save lives, while delay in diagnosis may increase mortality and the risk of transmission. This case reaffirms the vital role of immunisation and the importance of efforts to ensure a high uptake of the scheduled immunisations.
format Articel
author Rashid, Zetti Zainol
Mohamed, Nurul Azmawati
Swee Fong, Tang
author_facet Rashid, Zetti Zainol
Mohamed, Nurul Azmawati
Swee Fong, Tang
author_sort Rashid, Zetti Zainol
title A Case Of Fatal Diphtheria In A Paediatric Patient
title_short A Case Of Fatal Diphtheria In A Paediatric Patient
title_full A Case Of Fatal Diphtheria In A Paediatric Patient
title_fullStr A Case Of Fatal Diphtheria In A Paediatric Patient
title_full_unstemmed A Case Of Fatal Diphtheria In A Paediatric Patient
title_sort case of fatal diphtheria in a paediatric patient
publisher Internet Scientific Publications
publishDate 2016
url http://ddms.usim.edu.my:80/jspui/handle/123456789/12085
http://print.ispub.com/api/0/ispub-article/32981
_version_ 1645153070669103104
score 13.211869

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