ISSN:
1432-1076
Keywords:
Key words Diphtheria
;
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
;
Bacterial tracheitis
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract Diphtheria has become a rare disease in Germany. We report on an unimmunized 3.5-year-old German girl with a 7-day history of respiratory distress and fever, presenting a clinical picture mimicking typical bacterial tracheitis without pharyngeal and laryngeal manifestation. Diagnosis of diphtheria was not made until culture of tracheal secretions yielded growth of a toxigenic strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The patient died from toxic cardiac failure despite treatment with diphtheria antitoxin. This is the second reported case of isolated bacterial tracheitis caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Conclusion The observation of a lethal course of diphtheric tracheitis emphasizes the paramount im-portance of immunization against diseases like diph-theria.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s004310050584