EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE UNCLASSIFIED MYCOBACTERIA IN KOREA

Lee, Sung Kwan; Shin, Yong Dal

doi:1967.0.28.12

Tuberc Respir Dis > Issue 28; 1967 > Article

Original Article

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 1967;28:12-38.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1967.28.1.12

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE UNCLASSIFIED MYCOBACTERIA IN KOREA

Sung Kwan Lee, Yong Dal Shin

Department of Preventive Medicine, Scool of Medicine Kyungpuk National University

Abstract

An extensive study has been done for one year from 1965 to 1966 to estimate the geographical distribution in the four different districts with Japan-made Purified Tuberculin Protein-π. The skin tests were done on 4,822 healthy persons covering the selected areas of urban, rural, seacoast, and mountain. The criteria of positive limits adopted tentatively in reading was that the reaction to the unclassified mycobacteria-π should be more than 10mm in size and this reaction should be more than 25% compared with the reaction to the human tuberculin-π simultaneously injected. followings are the results obtained.: 1. The rate of positive reaction of unclassified mycobacteria to the healthy persons examined was found to be 31.7% in all areas. 2. The higher rates of positive reaction by the Runyon's classification groups were noted in scotochromogens and non- photochromogens, while the lower reactions were in the photochromogens and rapid grower. 3. The rate of positive reaction by districts was found to be 13.0% in the urban area. 36.8% in the rural area, 36.8% in the mountain area. 4. The highest rate of positive reaction among four different groups by districts was noted in the nonphotochromogens in the urban area, while the scotochromogens were higher in the other areas. 5. The younger the age of persons examined the higher the rate of positive reaction in the urban area, while in the other areas, the older, the higher. 6. The rate of positive reaction by unclassified mycobacteria in the low grade tuberculin reactors to the human tuberculin-π was found to be 58.7% in the urban area and almost 100% in the other areas. 7. No significant changes in the positive rate were noted in general by sex, however in the female groups, slightly higher incidences were found in the rural and mountain area.