Which disease is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae?

Which disease is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae? The answer is diphtheria.

Diphtheria is an infectious disease caused by toxin-producing strains of the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The toxin can damage tissues and create a thick gray or white membrane in the throat, potentially obstructing breathing. It may also injure the heart and nerves.

The disease spreads mainly through respiratory droplets and close contact, although contaminated objects can also play a role. Before vaccination, diphtheria was a major childhood killer. Antitoxin, antibiotics, respiratory support, and isolation are important parts of treatment, while vaccination is the key preventive measure.

A frequent mix-up is with pertussis, or whooping cough. Both can spread through respiratory droplets and are included in combination vaccines such as DTaP, but pertussis is caused by Bordetella pertussis. Cholera is caused by Vibrio cholerae, and tuberculosis by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, so neither is the disease linked to C. diphtheriae.