[Phage lysis typing and epidemiology of diphtheria 1975-1984]. / Phagenlysotypie und Epidemiologie der Diphtherie-Erkrankungen 1975 bis 1984.

Phage typing of the available diphtheria strains from epidemics and isolated diphtheria infections in the Federal Republic of Germany since 1975 showed that the various waves of the disease were caused by pathogenic strains which differed from each other in lysis type and lysogenetic spectrum. The individual regional outbreaks, therefore, were not epidemiologically interlinked. Both a high incidence of diphtheria cases and isolated cases occurring in a particular region and within the same time period, however, were caused by the same pathogen with identical lysis type and lysogenetic pattern. On the other hand, the toxinogenic strains introduced from countries with a high prevalence of the disease had clearly different typing characteristics. According to our present studies on the incidence of pathogen carriers, no toxin-producing diphtheria bacteria are circulating in the indigenous population. It can be assumed, therefore, that the outbreaks of diphtheria during the last few years were caused by such imported strains. Since the importation of toxin-producing diphtheria bacteria is unavoidable and may occur at all times, universal active immunisation in childhood, as well as timely revaccination of adolescents and adults, are mandatory prophylactic measures to prevent new epidemics.

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.

Respiratory pathogens in non-human primates with special reference to Corynebacterium ulcerans.

An investigation of 272 non-human primates (75 Macacca cynomolgus, 97 Macacca mulatta and 100 Cercopithecus aethiops) revealed a high incidence of respiratory disease caused by Corynebacterium ulcerans, Staphylococci, Diplococci and Streptococci. Escherichia coli was also found as a secondary invader. Most of the infections occurred during winter in Macaca cynomolgus and were caused by Corynebacterium ulcerans and Diplococcus pneumoniae. The C. ulcerans strains were phage type VI G. A phage type III C strain was isolated from a Macacca mulatta. The high incidence of C. ulcerans suggests that this organism plays a significant role in the pathology of respiratory disease in the non-human primate.