[Role of meningococcal carrier state in formation of the immunologic structure of a collective with regard to that agent].

The authors present the results of the immuno-epidemiological studies of two collective bodies -- over 2000 persons in all -- equal by age composition and physical load, who were under the same sanitary-hygienic conditions. Observations were carried out from the time of formation of these collective bodies in November and were continued for a period of 6 months; they differed by the epidemic situation in respect to the meningococcus infection, i.e. cases of this disease and carriers were present in the first, and carriers only in the second group. The collective bodies were subjected to complete bacteriological examination (at the time of formation and in 3 and 6 months); blood was studied for the presence of antibodies to the complex meningococcus antigens of groups A, B and C (in the passive hemagglutination test.) There proved to be a marked increase in the percentage of positive tests with the A- and C-antibodies in both collective bodies and an increase in the number of positive tests with B-antibodies only in the collective body with no meningococcus cases. Since in the first collective body the percentage of generalized meningococcus infection cases was insignificant (about 0.85%) and there were no cases in the second collective body, a conclusion could be drawn that changes in the immunological indices among persons in these groups were caused by carrier state. Thus, the effect of meningococcus carrier state on the formation of immunological indices of collective bodies was revealed.