Symptoms usually occur 2 to 5 days after you have come in contact with the bacteria.

• Bluish coloration of the skin
• Bloody, watery drainage from nose
• Breathing problems
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Rapid breathing
  • Stridor
• Chills
• Croup-like (barking) cough
• Drooling (suggests airway blockage is about to occur)
• Fever
• Hoarseness
• Painful swallowing
• Skin lesions (usually seen in tropical areas)
• Sore throat (may range from mild to severe)

Note: There may be no symptoms.

The health care provider will perform a physical exam and look inside your mouth. This may reveal a gray to black covering (pseudomembrane) in the throat, enlarged lymph glands, and swelling of the neck or larynx.

Tests used may include:

• Gram stain or throat culture to identify Corynebacterium diphtheriae
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Images

Antibodies

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Diphtheria Overview

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Diphtheria Treatment

Review Date: 12/15/2010
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)