Study of diphtheria carriers in Miraj

Following a case of diphtheria, 131 contacts were studied for throat and nose carriage. The carriage of C. diphtheriae was found to be 19.8%, 65.3% of them were toxin producing by counter-immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP). The carriers were treated with erythromycin for 7 days. Repeat swabs found them to be negative for C. diphtheriae except in four who had erythromycin resistant and penicillin sensitive strains. Penicillin treatment eliminated the organisms.