Abstract
The India-ink Immuno-reaction (IIR) was used as a simple, convenient procedure for the detection of carriers of enteric organisms in an unselected sample of patients attending a mission clinic at Kubacha in a remote area of Kaduna State, northern Nigeria. To assess the reliability of this procedure in difficult working conditions a similar population from the same clinic was subsequently examined by routine bacteriological culture techniques. Because of a temporary shortage of suitable anti-sera we were unable also to examine specimens from this second group by IIR. A further group of patients attending the out-patients clinic of the General Hospital in Kaduna with symptoms of acute enteric disease was investigated using both IIR and routine culture. Proportionally more positive results were obtained from Salmonellae, Shigellae and Vibrios with IIR than with routine culture. A larger scale controlled survey is desirable to evaluate the procedure further.