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Pandemics, Epidemics, and Vaccines: History, Science, & Controversies: Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTP3)

A research topic guide covering pandemics and epidemics as well as the history, science, and controversies of vaccines.

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The Cruelest Miles

In 1925, a deadly diphtheria epidemic swept through icebound Nome, Alaska. The life-saving serum was a thousand miles away, and a blizzard was brewing. Airplanes could not fly in such conditions: only the dogs could do it. Racing against death, twenty dog teams relayed the serum across the Alaskan wilderness as newspapers nationwide headlined the drama, enthralling an entire generation. The heroic dash to Nome inspired the annual Iditarod Dog Sled Race in Alaska and immortalized Balto, the lead dog whose arrival in Nome over a snow-blown trail was an American legend in the making. His bronze statue still stands in New York City's Central Park, in dedication to the "Endurance, Fidelity and Intelligence" of the dogs that saved Nome. This is their story, the greatest dog story never fully told, until now.

Bacterial Pathogenesis

Introduction to the host-parasite interaction -- Host defenses against bacterial pathogens: defenses of body surfaces -- Host defenses against bacterial pathogens: defenses of tissue and blood -- Virulence factors that promote colonization -- Virulence factors that damage the host -- Regulation of virulence genes -- Experimental approaches to investigating the host-bacterium interaction -- Vaccines and other approaches to modulating the immune response -- Antibiotics: mechanisms of action and mechanisms of bacterial resistance. Paradigms of bacterium-host interactions -- Diphtheria -- Scarlet fever, toxic shock syndrome, and the return of severe, invasive streptococcal disease -- Disease without colonization: food-borne toxinoses caused by Clostridium botulinum, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium perfringens -- Cholera (Vibrio cholerae) -- Whooping cough (Bordetella pertussis) -- Dysentery caused by Shigella species -- Listeria monocytogenes -- Escherichia coli gastrointestinal infections -- Escherichia coli urinary tract infections.

Whooping Cough

Whooping cough is a serious infectious disease characterized by coughing fits so intense that the afflicted person has difficulty breathing. This disease is most serious in infants who are too young to be vaccinated and in young children who are unvaccinated. Whooping cough is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which destroys ciliated cells in the respiratory tract that naturally protect against infections. Whooping Cough looks at the disease's symptoms and transmission, history, vaccine, and recent research. Deadly diseases affect everyone. Although not all cases are fatal, each disease causes a degree of harm and discomfort to those whom it afflicts and sometimes can have long-lasting consequences. Each book in the series Deadly Diseases and Epidemics takes the reader through all aspects of a disease---from its history and causes or method of infection to its treatment and prevention. The books provide a foundation for understanding the basics of microbiology, immunology, and epidemiology.

Diphtheria tetanus toxoid and pertussis (DTP3) immunization coverage among 1-year-olds in the U.S. 2000-2020*

 Diphtheria, tetanus toxoid and pertussis immunization coverage among 1 year olds in the U.S. has been above 93 percent since the year 2000. This statistic shows the percentage of one-year-olds who have received three doses of the combined diphtheria, tetanus toxoid and pertussis vaccine in a given year, in the U.S. from 2000 to 2020.

Source: Statista