1977 Volume 51 Issue 3 Pages 120-127
One class each of the 2nd grade in two primary schools from northern part of Toyama city (school A and D in industrial zone) and two from southern part (school B and C in agricultural zone) were randomly chosen, and the carrier state of hemolytic streptococci in these school children was, sequentially and quantitatively, investigated.
1. Carrier rates of hemolytic streptococci were, in general, significantly high, although variations were observed depending on the geographical or seasonal changes.
2. Both erythromycin-resistant M type 12 and erythromycin-sensitive T type 12 (M untypable) strains of group A, dominant in shhools B and D respectively, were sendentary in each population, the individual carrier states seeming to be also stationary.
3. Quantitative examinations revealed that many of the 102 carriers totally observed in this investigation have extremely low ratio of hemolytic streptococci to the total bacterial counts (either aerobic or anaerobic) in pharyngial swabs. Thus 95% of the carriers had the ratio of 1/100 or less, 65%, 1/10, 000 or less, and only 3 to 4 carriers showed the ratio of 1/10.
4. The carrier group in schools A and B, in general, possessed higher levels of both ASO and ASK in comparison to the non-carrier group which showed significant deviation in these antibody levels.
5. Two among 102 carriers, who were carrying, in significant quantity, erythromycin-registant M type 12 strains, seemed to have a potential to become an important source of an epidemic by these organisms. These two may be the most important object if any measure is to be done for the eradication of these organisms. The virulence of T type 12 (M untypable) strains is to be clarified
