TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Diphtheria is the pathogen caused by the Corynebacterium diphtheria bacterium, which originates from an anaerobic organism that can survive and grow in an unoxygenated environment.
According to Premiere Hospital Pediatrician Dr. Nurul Iman Nilam Sari SpA, there are three main bacteria that causes diphtheria.
“They are gravis, intermedius, and mitis,” she said on Friday, December 8.
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The bacteria can be transmitted through dust particles that contain patient’s saliva or vomit. The infection itself can be marked by the formation of pseudomembrane on the surface of the skin or mucus. Pseudomembrane is a darker shade of white thin layer of tissue that emerges in areas of nose mucus, mouth, and throat. Nurul said that diphtheria can form in nose, tonsils, larynx, skin, vagina, conjunctiva, and ear areas.
Between the three bacteria that cause diphtheria, the gravis is said to be the most dangerous since it can cause severe symptoms and death.
“Gravis produces exotoxin that can invasively spread locally or even systemically,” said Dr. Nurul.
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She also explained that the gravis bacterium infection often occurs in tonsils and larynx that can cause the inflammation of soft tissues in the neck, which can suffocate a person’s airway and lead to death.
Despite the dangers, Dr. Nurul said that a patient can recover from diphtheria if they receive proper treatment.
TEMPO.CO