The prevention of infectious diseases depends upon detection and control of asymptomatic carriers, controls of the food and water supply, treatment and isolation of patients, and active immunization. The detection and control of asymptomatic carriers is among the most important measure in the prevention of the diseases.
In Korea, typhoid fever is the most prevalent disease of acute infectious diseases. Accordingly, author detected salmonella carriers among 5.776 persons living in Chonnamprovince who were randomly-selected food-handlers and students etc, during the period from February 1968 through December 1968, and performed Vi-phage typing, colicin typing and antibiotic susceptibility test of the isolates.
The results obtained from this survey -were as follows.
Of 5,776 individuals investigated, 11(0.19%) were detected as typhoid carriers, 3(0.05) as Salmonella paratyphi C carriers, and each one as Salmonella choleraesuis and Salmonella seftenberg, respectively, indicating the carrierrate of Salmonella was 0. 28%(16 person).
The carrier rates by districts were found to be as follows: 1.23% in Kwangsan-Goon, 0.32 % in Kwangju city and Damyang-Goon, and 0.21% in Mooan-Goon. None of strains were isolated from other districts.
The carrier rates by age was revealed as follows: 0.3% in the age groups under 20 years, 0.15% in the age group 20~39 years, and 2.24% in the age group 40~69 years, indicating that the carrier rate of the older age group was higher than that of, the younger.
As for carrier rates by sex, 3,277 males and 2,499 females were subjected to this study, and there was a significant preponderence of males (male 0.3396, female 0.2%).
None of strains were resistant to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, tetracyclines and kanamycin. In contrast, however, all strains were resistant to penicillin, erythromycin and bacitracin. Resistance was common to neomycin (6.3%) and novobiocin (56.3%).
Two phage patterns were identified among 11 strains tested. The most predominant type was M. with 6 strains, and followed by D2 with 3 strains. The remaining 2 were unable to be phage typed due to degradation of Vi antigen. It was of interest that D2 type was detected for the first time in Korea, and that only one kind of phage type was found in a geographic area.
The sensitivity of salmonella isolated to colicins was examined with the standard set of colicinogenic strains; provided by Prof. P. Fredericq. However, all strains tested were not sensitive to colicins.
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