Diphtheria carriers in Manchester: simultaneous infection with toxigenic and non-toxigenic mitis strains.
A toxigenic strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae mitis was isolated from a 10-week-old baby with membranous tonsillitis, and over the next 6 months thirty-nine symptom-free carriers of nitrate-positive mitis strains were found. All carriers were cleared by 14 days' treatment with erythromycin, though several relapsed after a 5-day course. Four contacts carried both toxigenic and non-toxigenic mitis strains; epidemiological evidence and phage studies suggest that these had a common origin. These findings have implications for the epidemiology of diphtheria and for the routine testing of isolates for toxigenicity.
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D002353:Carrier State / Q000635:transmission; D002648:Child; D003353:Corynebacterium diphtheriae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004165:Diphtheria / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission*; D004166:Diphtheria Antitoxin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000453:epidemiology; D004739:England; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D012008:Recurrence
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004166:Diphtheria Antitoxin; D004917:Erythromycin