Year/period |
Type of event |
Event |
Present time geographical location
|
5th century BC |
Scientific development |
Diphtheria is first described by Greek physician Hippocrates.[5][6] |
Greece
|
1600s |
Scientific development |
Medical reports of a "deadly" strangulation disease first appear early in the century, and emerges as a greater threat with the growth of urbanizations.[1][6] |
|
1613 |
Epidemic |
Diphtheria epidemic in Spain causes the year to be named "El año de los Garotillos" ("year of strangulations"), due to the many deaths caused by diphtheria suffocation.[7] |
Spain
|
1826 |
Scientific development |
French physician Pierre Bretonneau gives diphtheria its official name diphtérite, derived from the Greek word for "leather" or "hide", which describes the pseudomembrane in the throat of the victims.[1][8][7] |
|
1856 |
Epidemic |
San Francisco doctor Victor Fourgeaud describes an epidemic of diphtheria in California.[4] |
United States
|
1883 |
Scientific development |
Swiss pathologist Edwin Klebs first observes the diphtheria bacterium corynebacterium diphtheriae in diphtheritic membranes.[6][7] |
|
1884 |
Scientific development |
German bacteriologist Friedrich Loeffler first grows diphtheria bacterium corynebacterium diphtheriae in pure culture.[9][2][6][7] |
Germany
|
1888 |
Scientific development |
French physicians Pierre Paul Émile Roux and Alexandre Yersin, working at Pasteur Institute, discover the diphtheria toxin.[10][7] |
France
|
1890 |
Medical development |
German physiologist Emil von Behring develops the first effective therapeutic serum against diphtheria. In 1901 Von Bering would be awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this work.[11][12] |
Germany
|
1891 |
Medical development |
The first successful therapeutic serum treatment of a child suffering from diphtheria is performed.[11] |
|
1894 |
Medical development |
The production and marketing of the diphtheria therapeutic serum begins in Germany.[11] |
Germany
|
1901 |
Medical development |
Emil von Behring, for the first time, uses a diphtheria innoculation of bacteria with reduced virulence, hoping with this active immunization to help the body also produce antitoxins.[11] |
Germany
|
1905 |
Medical development |
Franklin Royer publishes a paper urging timely treatment for diphtheria and adequate doses of antitoxin.[4] |
|
1913 |
Medical development |
Emil von Behring publishes his diphtheria protective agent, T.A. (Toxin-Antitoxin), which contains a mixture of diphtheria toxin and therapeutic serum antitoxin. Designed to provide long-term protection, the new drug would further be tested at various clinics and proven to be non-harmful and effective.[11] |
Germany
|
1921 |
Report |
A high of 206,000 cases of diphtheria and 15,520 deaths (case-fatality ratio of 7.5%) are recorded in the United States.[13][14] |
United States
|
1923 |
Medical development |
Diphtheria toxoid is licensed; prepared from inactivated bacterial toxin that has lost its toxicity but retains its antitoxin producing properties.[12] |
|
1924 |
Scientific development |
French biologist Gaston Ramon, working at Pasteur Institute, discoveres diphtheria and tetanus toxoid, then referred to as anatoxins.[15] |
France
|
1926 |
Medical development |
Alexander Thomas Glenny increases the effectiveness of diphtheria toxoid by treating it with aluminum salts.[4] |
|
1947 |
Medical development |
Combination diphtheria and tetanus toxoids for pediatric use is first licensed in the United States.[12] |
United States
|
1953 |
Medical development |
Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids (adult formulation) are first licensed in the United States, after the concentration of diphtheria toxoid is reduced.[12] |
United States
|
1964 |
Policy |
World Health Organization recommendations for the production and quality control of diphtheria vaccines are first formulated.[16] |
|
1971 |
Epidemic |
Seattle experiences the last major diphtheria outbreak in the United States.[17] |
United States
|
1974 |
Program launch |
Diphtheria toxoid combined with tetanus and pertussis vaccines (DTP) is included in the newly incepted WHO Expanded Programme on Immunization.[16] |
|
1974 |
Epidemic |
Diphtheria epidemic breaks out in Lisbon. 500 persons are involved, and about 40 deaths are recorded.[9] |
Portugal
|
1982 |
Epidemic |
5 deaths are recorded in Germany during a diphtheria outbreak.[9] |
Germany
|
1990-1998 |
Epidemic |
Massive diphtheria epidemic breaks out in the ex-Soviet Union. Starting in Russia, the outbreak reaches the Newly Independent States in 1991.[18][17] |
|
1996 |
Medical development |
Lederle Laboratories licenses diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine Acel-Imune, for use as the first through fifth doses in the series.[12] |
|
1997 |
Medical development |
British pharmaceutical company SmithKline Beecham licenses Infanrix (diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine adsorbed), for the first four doses of the series.[12] |
|
1998 |
Medical development |
North American Vaccine Inc licenses Certiva (diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine adsorbed), for boosting immunization of infants and children.[12] |
|
1999 |
Medical development |
Connaught Laboratories licenses diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine Tripedia.[12] |
|
2002 |
Medical development |
British pharmaceutical GlaxoSmithKline licenses Pediarix, a vaccine combining diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, inactivated polio, and hepatitis B antigens.[12] |
|
2002 |
Medical development |
Aventis Pasteur licenses diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine Daptacel.[12] |
|
2004 |
Medical development |
Aventis Pasteur licenses vaccine Decavac, indicated for active immunization against tetanus and diphtheria.[12][19] |
|
2005 |
Medical development |
Sanofi Pasteur licenses Menactra, the first meningococcal polysaccharide (Serogroups A, C, Y and W-135) diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine. This would be the first immunogenic meningococcal vaccine indicated for children younger than 2 years of age.[12] |
|
2007 |
Report |
4,190 cases of diphtheria are reported globally.[13] |
|
2011 |
Medical development |
United States Food and Drug Administration approves Boostrix (developed by GlaxoSmithKline) to prevent tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis in older people.[12] |
United States
|