THE CONTROL OF MENINGOCOCCIC MENINGITIS EPIDEMICS: BY ACTIVE IMMUNIZATION WITH MENINGOCOCCUS SOLUBLE TOXIN: FURTHER STUDIES

In July 1936 the senior author 1 reported observations on the control of epidemics of meningococcic meningitis by active immunization with the soluble toxin in the filtrate from meningococcus broth culture. The full strength filtrate was given subcutaneously in 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 cc. amounts at four day intervals as early as possible in five outbreaks. The fact that no further cases occurred in epidemics in which it had been given and that intradermal reactions changed from positive before inoculation toward negative after inoculation 2 caused us, during the past year, to give the toxin a prophylactic trial among the CCC enrollees in the state of Missouri and to use it for the purpose of control in as many incipient epidemics as possible. The results of this work are here described. THE VALUE OF INTRADERMAL TESTING AND PROPHYLACTIC IMMUNIZATION To determine the value of the intradermal test for separating