A TUBERCULIN-TESTING SURVEY OF A SCHOOL AGE POPULATION IN 11 AREAS IN CALIFORNIA

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Abstract
Of 123,934 elementary school children enrolled in 399 schools in 11 selected areas of California, 109,152 were tuberculin tested by Mantoux tests at least once in the years of 1957 and 1958. The study group consisted of the 85,751 students available for testing in both years in ten areas; of these, 54,051 completed both tests. The Mantoux test is discussed. The 10 study areas were divided into "high" and "low" groups by ranking their morbidity rates. The percentage of positive tests the first year followed the same general pattern as did the morbidity rates. Positive reactors in the first year varied from 11.1% in Ladino students, 4.5% in the Negro, and 5.3%, in the other nonwhite students to 2.1%; in other white students. Positive reactors the first test year varied from 0.96% at age 6 to 4.61% at age 14. Population density or degree of urbanity did not appear as factors significantly related to incidence. There were 512 new positive reactors in the second test year in the study group; 414 of these were converters from "no reaction" in the first year and had converted at the rate of 0.8%. There were 31 (3%) of the "erythema only" group who became positive and 67 (20%)) of those with "small indurations "who became positive. Numerous other data are given on conversion rates, and discussed in detail. The use of the tuberculin tests and numerous inferences and findings are described.

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