A Study of the Virulence of Meningococci for Man and of Human Susceptibility to Meningococcic Infection

[摘要] Epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis presents a number of immunological and epidemiological problems. Chief among these are the rôle of the meningococcus carrier in the dissemination of the infection and the factors that make him a distributor rather than a victim.Why, in an individual who develops meningitis, do the meningococci invade the deep tissues, and in the carrier confine themselves to the surface of the mucous membrane? Morphologically and culturally the cocci from the two sources are identical; both series are capable of setting up infection in susceptible men and animals; both are agglutinated by polyvalent, antimeningococcic serum.In searching for an explanation, two phenomena must be considered. One is the virulence of the meningococci for human beings; and the other is the susceptibility of human beings to the attacks of meningococci. It is important to recognize that these are two separate and distinct phenomena—that the distinction is not one of phrasing, only.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）