See Also: diphtheria(dictionary)
Diphtheria(medicine)
diphtheria(encyclopedia)
diphtheria(dictionary)
Diphtheria(health)
faucial diphtheria(medicine)
fowl diphtheria(medicine)
laryngeal diphtheria(medicine)
laryngotracheal diphtheria(medicine)
false diphtheria(medicine)

diphtheria (iou)



diphtheria noun. M19.
[mod. Latin, from French diphtherie, substituted by P. Bretonneau for his earlier diphtherite: see DIPHTHERITIS, -IA1.]
An acute contagious bacterial disease characterized by the inflammation of a mucous membrane, esp. in the throat, the formation of a false membrane, and the production of potentially fatal toxins affecting the heart and nerves.
diphtherial,
diphtherian (now rare),
diphtheric adjectives L19.