Diptheria is a disease that was a serious health threat before the advent of a vaccine. Characterized by a thick, gray covering in the back of your throat that can make breathing difficult, diptheria can damage your heart, kidneys and nervous system, states Mayoclinic.com. Scientists and government agencies study toxins like Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which causes diphtheria, to further understand diseases and potential vaccines for prevention.
Toxins
According to Safety.rochester.edu, a toxin is defined as any toxic substance of natural origin produced by an animal, plant or microbe. They are usually non-volatile and, with the exception of mycotoxins, are not typically active if they contact your skin. Distribution of these toxins is regulated by the government, meaning you need special clearance to purchase and work with toxins like Corynebacterium diphtheriae. As with any chemical substance, C. diphtheriae has a material safety data sheet, or MSDS, that documents its potential health effects and recommends procedures for safe handling.
Pathogenicity
C. diptheriae is classified as an infectious substance that is a potential health hazard. It has two types of clinical infection, via the nose and mouth or through cutaneous, or skin and open skin, contact. The MSDS states that it typically manifests as an upper respiratory tract infection that includes pharyngitis, fever, malaise, swelling of the neck and headache. You can have trouble breathing, and the back of your throat can have a grayish coating that is characteristic of a skin-derived infection. If left untreated, after two to six weeks, the toxin can affect the brain, leading to motor and sensory disorders as well as heart problems. Fatality rates are 5 to 10 percent for non-cutaneous diphtheria.
Communicability
This virus is considered extremely potent and contagious, or communicable. It incubates in your body for two to five days and sometimes longer before symptoms manifest. Until virulent bacilli have disappeared from discharges and lesions, a person is still considered contagious. This process usually takes two weeks. In some cases, chronic carriers may be contagious for more than six months. Antibiotic therapy will prevent contagion, although appropriate cautions should still be taken when contacting a patient or potentially infected articles of clothing.
Laboratory Hazards/Safety
According to the MSDS, there are 33 documented cases of laboratory infection through 1976, with at least one reported since that year. If you are studying this toxin, you are required to adhere to biosafety level 2 practices in containment equipment and facilities for all activities involving known or potentially infected clinical materials or cultures. Animal testing requires the same level of safety. A lab coat and gloves must be worn at all times when handling infectious materials. The MSDS also recommends allowing aerosols with the toxin to settle. If there is a spill, apply 1 percent sodium hypochlorite, starting at the perimeter and working toward the center; allow 30 minutes before cleanup.
Precautions
It is highly recommended to follow all safety procedures recommended by the MSDS. Receive an adult diphtheria-tetanus toxoid vaccine at 10 year intervals if you are working with C. diphtheriae in any capacity. The vaccine will reduce your risk of contacting and spreading the disease to other people or animals. If diphtheria exposure is strongly suspected, the MSDS states that the antitoxin should be given without awaiting bacterial confirmation, followed by antibiotic therapy after bacterial cultures have been found. The bacteria is sensitive to certain solvents: 1 percent sodium hypochlorite and 70 percent ethanol, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde and iodines. It also becomes inactive after 15 minutes of exposure to moist heat of 121 degrees Celsius or an hour of dry heat from 160 to 170 degrees Celsius.
