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Diphtheria " Carriers."
With a steadily increasing proportion of the population becoming
artificially immunised against diphtheria it is particularly important
to distinguish between cases of disease and those in which the presence
of the diphtheria bacilli is unaccompanied by symptoms and is of no
pathological significance.
Immunisation, whilst protecting the individual from invasion of
the tissues of the body which results in disease, has no influence on the
proneness to harbour the organism. This distinction is all the more
necessary in that the local practice of swabbing all domestic contacts
of each case investigates precisely those who are likely to be temporary
" carriers " of the organism.
Experience has shown that the majority of " carriers " detected in
this way and presenting no symptoms of illness have been df a very
temporary nature. They have given a positive swab on routine contact
swabbing, but after removal to hospital for isolation purposes have
thereafter given negative reports.
Another class of "carrier" which gives rise to more difficulty
are those which present the definite clinical features of other disease,
mostly streptococcal follicular tonsillitis, but which, when swabbed as a
precautionary measure, return a positive result for diphtheria bacilli.
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