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 …

…of susceptibility of children, artificial immunization at an early age is universally advocated. Toxoid is given in 2 or 3 doses (1 month apart) for primary immunization at an age of 3 - 4 months. A booster injection should be given about a year later, and it is advisable to administer several booster injections during childhood. Usually, infants in the United States are immunized with a trivalent vaccine containing diphtheria toxoid, pertussis vaccine, and tetanus toxoid (DPT or DTP vaccine).