On diphtheria immunity in North Greenland 1932–33

Abstract

1. 304 natives of North-west Greenland were examined with standardized Schick toxin, and 139 with direct smears stained by the methods of Gram and Bie.2. Of these 98 gave positive, 143 negative, and 63 doubtful reactions to the Schick test. 51 showed a positive control reaction with heated toxin. The swabs from 11 persons showed rods resembling the diphtheria bacillus.3. We incline to the belief, also held by Wells & Heinbecker, that the most natural explanation of the existence of this large number of Schick-negative reactors in Eskimos and Greenlanders, is that diphtheria bacilli not in frequently occur in their throats, occasionally causing “angina” epidemics. Owing to the difficulty of bacteriological investigation in those latitudes, especially in performing fermentation and virulence tests upon the isolated strains, it has mostly been impossible to trace the aetiology of these epidemics to diphtheria bacilli.