The Schick test is done to identify the immunity status against?

Appeared in: BSF Staff Nurse - 2015

Explanation

The Schick test is a specific skin test used to determine a person's susceptibility to diphtheria.
It involves the intradermal injection of a small, standardized dose of diphtheria toxin.
If a person lacks sufficient antibodies (antitoxin) to neutralize the toxin, a localized inflammatory reaction (redness and swelling) will appear at the injection site, indicating they are susceptible to the disease.
An absence of a reaction indicates that the person is immune because their antibodies have neutralized the toxin.

Option B: Immunity to measles, a viral disease, is determined by serological testing for the presence of measles-specific IgG antibodies in the blood, not by a skin test.
Option C: Similar to measles, immunity against the mumps virus is assessed through blood tests that detect mumps-specific IgG antibodies.
Option D: Immunity to German measles (rubella) is also confirmed via serological analysis to detect rubella-specific IgG antibodies. The Schick test is unrelated to this viral infection.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Diagnostic skin tests for infectious diseases as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
While historically significant, the Schick test is now rarely performed in clinical practice due to the widespread success of diphtheria vaccination programs (DTaP/Tdap).
Current practice relies on documented vaccination history and, if needed, serologic testing for diphtheria antitoxin levels to confirm immunity.
A 'What if?' scenario: If a patient with an unknown vaccination history is exposed to a confirmed case of diphtheria, the priority would be post-exposure prophylaxis with diphtheria antitoxin and antibiotics, and initiating vaccination, rather than performing a Schick test.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core subject of the question, which is the 'Schick test'.
This is a factual recall question. Access your knowledge base about diagnostic tests for specific infectious diseases.
Recall the specific association between the Schick test and the disease it diagnoses. This is a classic pairing in microbiology and community health nursing.
Associate the Schick test with Diphtheria.
Eliminate the other options by recalling that Measles, Mumps, and German measles are viral diseases, and immunity is typically checked via blood tests (serology), not a toxin-based skin test.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Microbiology Applied AnjuDhir 3e Part 2 p. 106-108

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