Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-fv566 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-19T08:20:12.279Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The detection of the typhoid carrier state*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. The existing procedures recommended for the detection of carriers of enteric pathogens are reviewed.

2. The techniques employed in this work at present were re-examined.

3. An investigation of the sera of 67 chronic typhoid carriers and 343 normal persons, suggested that titrations for typhoid Vi, O and H agglutinins are useful screening tests for the detection of typhoid carriers. The examination may be usefully extended to the titration of H agglutinins against paratyphoid B and paratyphoid A, the former as a possible indicator of the carriage of Salm.paratyphid B, the latter as an indicator of previous inoculation with T.A.B. vaccine.

4. Inoculation did not appear to increase the proportion of positive reactions with TVi bacterial suspension, which in uninfected persons was about 1%. In contrast, the proportion of positive reactors with TO suspension rose from 8·8% in uninoculated to 25·3% in inoculated persons, at a serum dilution of 50; and with TH suspension the positive figure rose from 2·7% in uninoculated to 71·4% in inoculated persons at a serum dilution of 25. Inoculation thus impairs the value of TO agglutination and destroys that of TH agglutination as indicators of infection.

5. The investigation of 29 chronic carriers showed that a single bacteriological examination of excreta for the presence of Salm. typhi is not a reliable method of carrier detection. Increasing the number of specimens to three greatly raises the probability of detection.

6. The findings are discussed and a revised form of paragraph 5 of the Ministry of Health Memorandum on the safeguards recommended for adoption by water undertakings is suggested.

The Working Party is grateful to a number of pathologists for the supply of sera from chronic carriers and we should also like to thank Mr F. J. Flyn of the Central Enteric Reference Laboratory for his great technical help.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 59 , Issue 2 , June 1961 , pp. 231 - 247
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1961

References

REFERENCES

Anderson, E. S. (1960). Screening test for typhoid carriers. Lancet, i, 653.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhatnagar, S. S., Speechley, C. C. G. & Singh, M. (1938). A Vi variant of Salmonella typhi and its application to the serology of typhoid fever. J. Hyg., Camb. 38, 663.Google Scholar
Felix, A. (1938 a). The detection of chronic typhoid carriers by agglutination tests. Lancet, ii, 738.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Felix, A. (1938 b). The titration of therapeutic antityphoid serum. J. Hyg., Camb. 38, 750.Google Scholar
Felix, A. (1944). Modern laboratory methods in the control of typhoid and paratyphoid B fever. Brit. med. Bull. 2, 269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Felix, A. (1950). Standardization of diagnostic agglutination tests. Bull. World Hlth Org. 2, 643.Google ScholarPubMed
Felix, A. (1951). Laboratory control of the enteric fevers. Brit. med. Bull. 7, 153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Felix, A. & Bensted, H. J. (1954). Proposed standard agglutinating sera for typhoid and paratyphoid fevers. Bull. World Hlth Org. 10, 919.Google Scholar
Felix, A., Krikorian, K. S. & Reitler, R. (1935). The occurrence of typhoid bacilli containing Vi antigen in cases of typhoid fever and of Vi antibody in their sera. J. Hyg., Camb. 35, 421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holden, O. M. (1939). The Croydon typhoid outbreak. Publ. Hlth, Lond., 52, 135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landy, M. & Lamb, E. (1953). Estimation of Vi antibody employing erythrocytes treated with purified Vi antigen. Proc. Soc. exp. Biol., N.Y., 82, 593.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lie Kian Joe, , Wiratmadja, N. S., Hardjowardojo, S. D., Kartaenegara, S. & Harmiati, S. (1957). The value of Vi agglutination as an aid in the detection of typhoid carriers in Indonesia. Docum. Med. Geograph. Trop. 9, 27.Google ScholarPubMed
Mackenzie, E. F. W. (1954). Thirty-fifth report, Metropolitan Water Board. London: Staples Press Ltd.Google Scholar
Mackenzie, E. F. W. & Taylor, E. W. (1945). A study of the Vi agglutination test for the detection of typhoid carriers. J. Hyg., Camb. 44, 31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, W. S. (1950). Some observations on enteric infection in a Delta village. J. Egypt. publ. Hlth Ass. 25, 45.Google Scholar
Murphy, H. L. (1938). Report on a public local enquiry into an outbreak of typhoid fever at Croydon in October and November, 1937. H.M.S.O. Cmd. 5664.Google Scholar
Pijper, A. & Crocker, C. G. (1943). Typhoid carriers and Vi agglutinins. J. Hyg., Camb. 43, 201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Report (1938). Ann. Rep. for 1937 C.M.O., Min. Hlth, London, no. 40.Google Scholar
Report (1939). Memorandum on the safeguards to be adopted in day to day administration of water undertakings. Memo 221/Med. min. Hlth, London.Google Scholar
Report (1959). Epidem. vit. Stat. Rep. 12, no. 3, 172.Google Scholar
Schubert, J. H., Edwards, P. R. & Ramsey, C. H. (1959). Detection of typhoid carriers by agglutination tests. J. Bact. 77, 648.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spaun, J. (1952). Determination of Salmonella typhi O and Vi antibodies by haemagglutination. Acta Path. microbial. Scand. 31, 462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Staak, H. H. & Spaun, J. (1953). Serological diagnosis of chronic typhoid carriers by Vi haemagglutination. Acta Path. microbial. Scand. 32, 420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar