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Biomedical subjects

C V Broome

Publications and source records attributed to C V Broome.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Dermatitis in grocery workers associated with high natural concentrations of furanocoumarins in celery.

A vesicular, peeling rash characteristic of a phytophototoxic dermatitis developed on the hands and arms of 30 of 127 grocery workers. The rash subsequently healed with residual hyperpigmentation. Produce workers had the highest attack rate, 100% (8 of 8, p less than 0.0001). Although contact with celery had the highest relative risk for disease (relative risk, 6.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.6, 19.2) and the strongest dose-response effect, an association with celery alone could not be shown because workers were also exposed to other produce. However, anecdotal evidence also suggested that celery might be involved. The disease-resistant, high-quality brand of celery carried by these stores had higher levels of furanocoumarins, potent photosensitizers and a known cause of phytophotodermatitis, than other brands (p = 0.01). A randomly selected nationwide sample of stores in this chain showed dermatitis in 13 of 17 states and 26% of produce workers surveyed. Plant breeding to produce a more disease-resistant celery stock may lead to increased levels of endogenous furanocoumarins, resulting in phytophotodermatitis in grocery workers.

Dermatitis, Occupational↗

Red man syndrome: inadvertent administration of an excessive dose of rifampin to children in a day-care center.

A cluster of toxic reactions among children inadvertently given excessive doses of rifampin for chemoprophylaxis of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease in a day-care center was investigated. In all 19 children, who received five times the therapeutic dose of rifampin, dramatic adverse reactions developed. A striking, "glowing" red discoloration of the skin and facial or periorbital edema were found to be the hallmarks of rifampin toxicity. These clinical signs of acute toxicity contrast sharply with the adverse side effects of rifampin reported with therapeutic doses.

Acute Disease↗

Secondary Haemophilus influenzae type b in day-care facilities. Risk factors and prevention.

The risk factors for acquisition of secondary day-care-associated Haemophilus influenzae type b disease were evaluated in a cohort of children in Seattle-King County, Washington; Atlanta; and the state of Oklahoma. During the study period, 129 primary cases were identified in children less than 5 years old who attended day-care facilities. In ten instances (8%), a secondary case occurred between one and 60 days after a primary case in the same classroom. Risk of secondary disease in classroom contacts was strongly age related: 2.4% in children 0 to 11 months old, 1.2% in children 12 to 23 months old, and 0.0% in children 24 to 59 months old. Controlling for age, children attending day-care more hours per week were more likely to transmit or acquire secondary disease. Risk of secondary disease for children in other classrooms at a center where a case had occurred was not significantly greater than risk of primary disease. Administration of rifampin to classroom contacts of a child with invasive H influenzae was effective in preventing secondary cases (95% confidence interval for rifampin efficacy, 47% to 100%). For children 0 to 23 months old not treated with rifampin, risk of secondary disease was 2.7% (95% confidence interval, 1.1% to 4.3%), a risk approaching that reported in household contacts.

Age Factors↗

Age-specific differences in duration of clinical protection after vaccination with meningococcal polysaccharide A vaccine.

Sequential case-control studies were used to monitor changes in the clinical protection induced by group A meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine over a 3-year period. Overall, vaccine efficacy declined from 87% 1 year after vaccination to 70% and 54% at 2 and 3 years, respectively. When stratified by age at time of vaccination the data showed that, although vaccine efficacy remained high in children greater than or equal to 4 years of age (vaccine efficacy 85%, 74%, and 67% at 1, 2, and 3 years after vaccination, respectively), it declined dramatically in those less than 4 years of age at time of vaccination (vaccine efficacy 100%, 52%, and 8%, respectively, at 1, 2, and 3 years after vaccination). Thus, a single dose of group A meningococcal vaccine does not yield lasting clinical protection in children less than 4 years of age.

Adolescent↗

Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome. Evidence for additional toxins.

Although toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) has been proposed as the toxin responsible for toxic shock syndrome, its role in this disease has not been proved. To study this question, we examined Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from normally sterile sites in patients with nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome for the presence of TSST-1 production. Only 20 (62.5%) of 32 produced TSST-1, compared with 41 (93%) of 44 vaginal isolates from patients with menstrual toxic shock syndrome. Of strains of S aureus from patients with nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome, TSST-1-negative isolates were more likely to be associated with a fatal outcome and to not be phage group 1 than TSST-1-positive isolates. Seven of the TSST-1-negative strains were evaluated in a rabbit subcutaneous chamber model of toxic shock syndrome. Fifteen (60%) of 25 rabbits developed a toxic shock syndrome-like illness and nine died. Clinical signs and histopathologic findings in the rabbits were similar to those seen in rabbits inoculated with TSST-1-positive S aureus isolates. These results suggest that other, as yet unrecognized, toxins play a role in toxic shock syndrome, and that TSST-1 production may not be essential to the pathogenesis of toxic shock syndrome.

Adolescent↗

Pasteurized milk as a vehicle of infection in an outbreak of listeriosis.

Between June 30th and August 30th, 1983, 49 patients in Massachusetts acquired listeriosis. Seven cases occurred in fetuses or infants and 42 in immunosuppressed adults; 14 patients (29 per cent) died. Of 40 Listeria monocytogenes isolates available for testing, 32 were serotype 4b. Two case-control studies, one matching for neighborhood of residence and the other for underlying disease, revealed that the illness was strongly associated with drinking a specific brand of pasteurized whole or 2 per cent milk (odds ratio = 9, P less than 0.01 for the neighborhood-matched study; odds ratio = 11.5, P less than 0.001 for the illness-matched study). The association with milk was further substantiated by four additional analyses that suggested the presence of a dose-response effect, demonstrated a protective effect of skim milk, associated cases with the same product in an independent study in another state, and linked a specific phage type with the disease associated with milk. The milk associated with disease came from a group of farms on which listeriosis in dairy cows was known to have occurred at the time of the outbreak. Multiple serotypes of L. monocytogenes were isolated from raw milk obtained from these farms after the outbreak. At the plant where the milk was processed, inspections revealed no evidence of improper pasteurization. These results support the hypothesis that human listeriosis can be a foodborne disease and raise questions about the ability of pasteurization to eradicate a large inoculum of L. monocytogenes from contaminated raw milk.

Adult↗

Immunization of US children with Hemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide vaccine. A cost-effectiveness model of strategy assessment.

Hemophilus influenzae type b (HIB) is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in the United States. Efforts are under way to develop vaccines immunogenic in children younger than 18 months, but clinical efficacy of a previously developed HIB polysaccharide vaccine has already been established in children aged 18 months or older. We developed a cost-effectiveness model to evaluate immunizing US children with this HIB polysaccharide vaccine pending development of a more immunogenic product. The model permitted comparison of the impact of alternative strategies for use of the vaccine, including universal use at 18 or 24 months of age, use of a second dose after primary immunization, and use in high-risk groups such as day-care-center attendees. Universal vaccination at 18 or 24 months of age resulted in similar estimates of disease prevented, as a consequence of the higher expected efficacy and duration of immunity for the vaccine when given at 24 months. Overall, the implementation of routine childhood immunization against HIB at 18 months of age was the most cost-effective strategy. Universal vaccination at 18 months of age combined with a second dose for day-care-center attendees would substantially increase the number of cases prevented, with a minimal increase in costs. Universal vaccination with a two-dose schedule beginning at 18 months of age could prevent the most disease.

Bacterial Capsules↗

An outbreak of Pontiac fever related to whirlpool use, Michigan 1982.

Fourteen of 23 female members of a church group experienced an acute self-limited illness characterized by chills, fever, chest pain, cough, and nausea, consistent with the diagnosis of Pontiac fever. All 14 affected women had used a whirlpool located in the women's locker room during a racquetball party. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 6 was isolated from the women's whirlpool. Nine of 14 cases showed a seroconversion to heat-fixed antigen prepared from the L pneumophila serogroup 6 isolate. Aerosol size studies show that the whirlpool aerator produced water droplets small enough to travel deep into the tracheobronchial tree but large enough to transport L pneumophila. This outbreak demonstrated that Pontiac fever may be associated with L pneumophila serogroup 6, that whirlpools can serve as a reservoir for these organisms, and that seroconversion can occur in the absence of illness.

Adult↗

Nosocomial legionellosis, Paris, France. Evidence for transmission by potable water.

During a five-week period in 1981, six cases of legionellosis due to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 were recognized in a hospital in Paris, France. Four cases were clearly nosocomial in origin. There was a direct association between development of disease and exposure to potable hot water (p = 0.003). The entire hot water system was contaminated with L. pneumophila serogroup 1; monoclonal antibody testing demonstrated that the case isolate and the potable water isolates belonged to the same subgroup. Although serogroup 1 was isolated from both the cooling tower and its drift, the cooling tower isolate was antigenically distant from the case isolate. In other nosocomial outbreaks of legionellosis, multiple sources have been found within the hospital environment, but an epidemiologic association of disease with potable water had not been shown. The significant association of cases with exposure to the potable hot water supply, and the identification of case and potable water isolates of the same subtype, suggest that the potable hot water was responsible for transmission of disease in this outbreak.

Adult↗

Risk factors for primary invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease: increased risk from day care attendance and school-aged household members.

From November 1, 1981, through April 30, 1982, we performed a case-control study of primary invasive Haemophilus influenzae infections in children in Colorado. Information was collected for 121 (83%) of 146 children with positive cultures and for 196 (67%) of 292 age-matched controls selected at random from birth certificates. Infected children were more likely to have attended a day care center or nursery (DCC/N) and to have an elementary school-aged household member. For attendance at DCC/N, the relative risk was significantly increased only for children 12 months of age or older, and increased with the size of the DCC/N. After controlling for DCC/N attendance and school-aged siblings, children younger than 6 months of age with infection were significantly less likely to have been breast-fed, suggesting a protective effect of breast-feeding. We identified DCC/N attendees, especially those older than 1 year of age, to be at increased risk of primary H. influenzae disease. They could benefit from immunization.

Breast Feeding↗

Surveillance of Lyme disease in the United States, 1982.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness that has been reported from three regions in the United States--the Northeast, Midwest, and West--which correspond to the distribution of the recognized vectors of the disease, Ixodes dammini and Ixodes pacificus. In 1982, a surveillance system designed to define the morbidity and geographic distribution for Lyme disease by using a clinical case definition received information on 491 definite cases and 38 probable cases. Of the definite cases, 489 were acquired in endemic areas of the Northeast or Midwest; one case was acquired in Utah and one in western Pennsylvania, two areas where the illness had not been previously reported. Three states that previously had not reported cases of Lyme disease (Kentucky, Indiana, Montana) reported probable cases. In 37% of the definite cases, the patients had neurological symptoms (most commonly reported was headache with stiff neck, suggestive of meningitis), 10% cardiac symptoms (most commonly reported was palpitations), and 54% arthritic symptoms (most commonly reported in large joints). The occurrence of Lyme disease in areas outside the currently recognized endemic regions, as well as the recent description of Amblyomma americanum as a probable vector, suggest that additional vectors may be described in the future.

Adolescent↗

Leprosy in the United States, 1971-1981.

In the period 1971-1981, 1,835 cases of leprosy were reported in the United States; only 10% of these cases were indigenous. Since 1977, the number of new cases reported each year has risen because of an increase in imported cases of disease, a situation reflecting the increased number of refugees and immigrants who have entered the United States from areas endemic for leprosy. Forty-five of the 50 states reported cases. In only 25% of the imported cases were the patients known to have had leprosy at the time of immigration; the remaining 75% were diagnosed in this country. The highest rate of disease onset for this latter group occurred within 12 months after entry into the United States, but cases continued to be reported 10 years after entry. Active refugee resettlement programs have widely distributed persons with leprosy, contacts of diseased persons, and persons from endemic areas throughout the 50 states, a situation necessitating the development of expertise by medical professionals and public health officials in the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up of patients with leprosy.

Adolescent↗

Acquired ability of Staphylococcus aureus to produce toxic shock-associated protein and resulting illness in a rabbit model.

Staphylococcus aureus from patients with toxic shock syndrome (TSS) produce TSS toxin 1. We transferred, by a bacteriophage, the ability to produce TSS toxin 1 from a TSS toxin 1-positive to a TSS toxin 1-negative strain of S. aureus. This recombinant strain produced TSS toxin 1 as confirmed by isoelectric focusing, immunodiffusion, radioimmunoassay, and autoradiography. The recombinant produced TSS-like illness in rabbits, and was significantly (P less than 0.001) more lethal than the recipient strain. Both strains produced fever and diarrhea, but, in addition, rabbits challenged with the recombinant also developed lowered blood pressure (P = 0.002), conjunctival hyperemia, erythroderma, and respiratory distress. Histopathological findings in rabbits challenged with the recombinant strain were remarkably similar to those described for humans with TSS, e.g., erythrophagocytosis, liver "triaditis," and vasodilatation. This study demonstrates that this protein may contribute to the pathogenesis of the TSS.

Animals↗

Thermophilic bacteria: a new cause of human disease.

We studied a group of 31 bacterial isolates from clinical specimens, received by the Centers for Disease Control since 1961, which have been denoted thermophilic for their unusual ability to grow at 50 degrees C. Microbiological characteristics were determined for the group, and an assessment of their clinical significance was made based on retrospective chart review. These bacteria are all gram-negative, nonfermentative, nonsporulating rods, most of which grow better at 42 or 50 degrees C than at 35 degrees C. Some of the bacteria could be implicated as the etiological agents for meningitis, endocarditis, and septicemia. Thermophilic bacteria should be considered potential pathogens when isolated from appropriate clinical specimens.

Adolescent↗

Diphtheria in the United States, 1971-81.

After a decade-long resurgence, including a large cutaneous diphtheria outbreak in Washington State, the diphtheria incidence rate in the United States reached its lowest recorded level ever in 1980--two patients (0.01 case per million). Mortality paralleled the decline in incidence rate. Only 143 of the 3,141 US counties reported noncutaneous diphtheria patients during 1971-81; most were located in the West. The highest attack rates were experienced by children less than 15 years old (0.8 case per million) and by American Indians (22.6 cases per million). Persons immunized with three or more doses of diphtheria toxoid had a lower death-to-case ratio (1.3 per cent) than totally unimmunized persons (13.4 per cent). The reasons for the dramatic decline in diphtheria incidence rates are unclear, although it has been postulated that the gene for producing diphtheria toxin may be lost from organisms in highly immunized populations. Significant proportions of the adult and elderly populations are susceptible to diphtheria. Continuation of primary immunization with increased emphasis on the routine use of tetanus and diphtheria toxoids (Td) boosters in adults should ensure that diphtheria will remain largely a scourge of the past.

Adolescent↗

Diphtheria: a possible foodborne outbreak in Hodeida, Yemen Arab Republic.

Between 29 August 1981 and 16 January 1982, an epidemic of diphtheria produced 149 cases in Hodeida, Yemen Arab Republic. The overall attack rate was 11.8 per 10 000; the most frequent victims were males under 5 years of age, with an attack rate of 55.7 per 10 000. Severity of the illness varied inversely with age and the number of previous doses of DPT. A case-control study showed that vaccination with DPT was protective (P = 0.03) with an efficacy of 87.3% (95% confidence interval, 32.2-99.5%) among those who had received 3 or more doses. Risk factors for the development of disease were previous contact with a case (P = 0.002), previous contact with a person having skin disease (P = 0.04), obtaining drinking-water from a wheeled carrier (P = 0.008), and consumption of factory-made yoghurt (P = 0.003). The secondary attack rate among household contacts under 15 years of age was at least 1.3%.

Adolescent↗

Legionnaires' disease in the Caribbean. An outbreak associated with a resort hotel.

Outbreaks of legionnaires' disease (LD) in tourists visiting Italian and Spanish resorts have been recently reported. An unusual number of reports of LD in tourists visiting the US Virgin Islands prompted an investigation of risk factors for development of LD in this area. Twenty-seven cases of LD were identified between 1979 and 1982 through press reports, personal communication, the national LD surveillance system, a review of hospital records, and a mail survey. Twenty-four of 27 persons with the disease had visited St Croix and 12 of them had stayed at a single hotel in 1981. Available evidence suggested that infection was due to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1; L pneumophila serogroups 1 and 3 and several new Legionella species were isolated from the potable water system at the hotel. Following hyperchlorination of the potable water system, no further cases of LD in hotel visitors have been identified to date.

Disease Outbreaks↗