[Characteristics of the antitoxic and antibacterial immune response in children with diphtheria]

As found in this study, the development of the manifest forms of diphtheria occurred in the presence of lower levels of antitoxic antibodies, than bacterial carrier state. The level of antitoxic antibodies in all patients, irrespective of the time of their examination, was higher than that of antibacterial antibodies. In the dynamics of the disease a considerable increase in antitoxic and antibacterial antibodies was observed in localized and disseminated forms of diphtheria and, to a considerably lesser degree, in toxic and subtoxic forms of diphtheria, while not observed in the process of the formation of bacterial carrier state. The dynamics of a rise in the levels of antitoxic and antibacterial antibodies in the manifest forms of diphtheria infection made it possible to differentiate between the cases of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae carrier state and those of the disease.