This 4-year-old black female had an upper respiratory infection and a sore throat with increasing difficulty in breathing. Membranous exudate over one tonsil led to a working diagnosis of diphtheria, and the child was admitted. On the day of her admission, the child developed signs of respiratory tract obstruction and a tracheotomy was performed. However, the procedure was unable to establish a patent airway and the child died.

== Images ==

File:IPLab9Diphtheria4.jpg|In this higher-power photomicrograph of the tissue from the previous image, the ulcerated tracheal mucosa and the diphtheritic membrane are more clearly seen. Although difficult to make out at this magnification, most of the cells in this inflammatory exudate are neutrophils.

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== Study Questions ==

=== Images ===

* [http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/LUNGHTML/LUNGIDX.html#1 WebPath: Pneumonias]