1. Diphtheria By Sara Abu-Ghnaim

2. What the @#$%&* is Diphtheria? Contagious disease of the throat Easily caught by young children and elders, because of weakened immune system Easily transferred by unclean places and crowded living areas

3. How is Diphtheria Transferred? Diphtheria is caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a bacterium. The bacterium produces a toxin (poison) that is carried in the bloodstream Usually appears 2-4 days after incubation period Highly contagious: can be caught be laughing

4. History of Diphtheria In early 1890s, Emil von Behring became an assistant at the Institute for Infectious Diseases, headed by Robert Koch Started his studies with experiments on the development of a therapeutic serum

5. The Cure In 1890, together with his university friend Erich Wernicke, he managed to develop the first effective therapeutic serum against diphtheria At the same time, together with Shibasaburo Kitasato, he developed an effective therapeutic serum against tetanus

6. Important animals in Diphtheria The researchers immunized rats, guinea pigs and rabbits with attenuated forms of the infectious agents causing diphtheria and alternatively, tetanus The sera produced by these animals were injected into non- immunized animals that were previously infected with the fully virulent bacteria The ill animals could be cured through the administration of the serum

7. Symptoms of Diphtheria As the infection progresses, the person may: have difficulty breathing or swallowing complain of double vision have slurred speech even show signs of going into shock (skin that's pale and cold, rapid heartbeat, sweating, and an anxious appearance) Kitty!!!

8. Isn’t There a Movie About This? In 1925, an epidemic of diphtheria struck the small Alaskan town of Nome. There was not enough antitoxin to treat all the townspeople, and severe winter weather prevented airplanes from delivering the serum. Relay of sled dog teams from Nenana (675 miles away) rushed the antitoxin to Nome, arriving in under 27.5 hours and saving the lives of many people. Oh yea, the movie is called Balto.

9. The End