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A study of acute respiratory disease in the community of Port Chalmers I. Illnesses within a group of selected families and the relative incidence of respiratory pathogens in the whole community

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

L. C. Jennings ,
R. D. MacDiarmid  and
J. A. R. Miles
L. C. Jennings
Affiliation:
Microbiology Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
R. D. MacDiarmid
Affiliation:
Medical Centre, Port Chalmers
J. A. R. Miles
Affiliation:
Microbiology Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Summary

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A study of respiratory diseases in the semi-isolated community of Port Chalmers, New Zealand, began in April 1973. The intensive surveillance of a selected group of 26 families involved the weekly reporting of illness, the collection of specimens for virus, Group A streptococci and Mycoplasma pneumoniae isolation and the collection of sera at 6-month intervals. A total of 956 illnesses were reported during 32 months. The median number of illnesses per year were: infants 4·4, children 2·5, female adults 2·4 and male adults 2·0. Of all these illnesses, 57% were upper respiratory, 31% were lower respiratory and 9% were enteric. The severity of these illnesses was not greater than would be expected in open communities. Surveillance by pathogen isolation only of the whole community through the patients in the general practice was carried out concurrently.

A total of 640 nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected from which 161 viruses, 47 Group A streptococci and 2 M. pneumoniae were isolated. The overall isolation rate was 33%. The similarities between the epidemiological patterns of respiratory disease in the open community and the isolated community are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 81 , Issue 1 , August 1978 , pp. 49 - 66
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

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