[Immune response as a function of the nutritional status in young children 1 to 3 years of age in the south of Ivory Coast].

177 children between 1 and 3 years (74 well-nourished, 55 suspected of protein/calorie deficiency, 48 under nourished) were vaccinated (tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping-cough, polio); one month after the third dose of DTWC polio, we proceeded to apply the Merieux multitest and to check for intradermal reaction to the tuberculin: This study has shown that the Merieux multitest gives results comparable to the classical intradermal method with tuberculin. The multitest makes it possible to explore simultaneously seven different antigens under perfectly comparable conditions from the standpoint of precision and standardization (diphtheria, tetanus, tuberculin, Streptococcus, Proteus, Trichophyton and Candida). This exploration has shown that there is no significant difference in terms of the nutritional condition of the children. Well-nourished children, under-nourished children and children suspected of a deficiency react in the same manner to antigenic attractions whether vaccinal or spontaneous. This study would seem to suggest, therefore, that the nutritional conditions of a child need not to be taken into account when administering a vaccine.