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Biomedical subjects

J S Marr

Publications and source records attributed to J S Marr.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Are air-conditioning maintenance personnel at increased risk of Legionellosis?

We surveyed by use of medical questionnaires and blood tests 21 maintenance workers involved with cleaning and servicing cooling towers and evaporative condensers at a large company to determine the frequency of pneumonia and antibody levels against Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. The 21 high-risk workers were compared with 27 low-risk workers, persons who were not directly involved in service or maintenance for the company. The overall prevalence of titers greater than or equal to 128 for the 21 high-risk workers was 19.0% compared with 22.2% for the low-risk group. There were no significant differences in the history of pneumonia between these groups. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Deinstitutionalized mentally retarded hepatitis-B surface antigen carriers in public school classes: a descriptive study.

Twenty-seven of 33 formerly institutionalized retarded HBsAg carriers exhibited behaviors which might facilitate viral transmission in classrooms where they had been placed with retarded susceptibles. Classroom conditions included lack of handwashing facilities and frequent failure to inform staff of the presence of such carriers in their classes. A serological survey of classroom contacts showed that 91% of never-institutionalized students, 86% of staff, and 18% of formerly-institutionalized students had no antibody to HBsAg. Caution should be taken to protect teachers and students from infection with hepatitis-B in such classrooms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Mentally retarded hepatitis-B surface antigen carriers in NYC public school classes: a public health dilemma.

The placement of retarded children who have been institutionalized and are asymptomatic hepatitis-B surface antigen carriers into public school classes for the retarded has caused controversy and presented the New York City Health Department with an unusual medical-ethical dilemma. In this situation, the cost of interfering with deinstitutionalization, an important social advance, must be balanced against the benefit of controlling the unquantified but real risk of transmitting a potentially serious disease. The Health Department guidelines for managing this problem recommended serological surveillance, promotion of classroom hygiene where possible, and teaching of carriers in classes separate from their susceptible peers. A federal court disallowed the cohorting provisions of these guidelines. Changing policies and practices towards the mentally retarded, such as deinstitutionalization, raise important public health issues which will have to be faced by the involved communities.

Carrier State↗
PubMed1979

Association between hepatobiliary cancer and typhoid carrier state.

A case-control study of deceased typhoid carriers registered by the New York City Health Department between 1922 and 1975 was carried out to test for an association between the typhoid-carrier state and death due to hepatobiliary cancer. 471 carriers were matched with 942 controls for sex, age at death, year of death, borough in which the carrier died, and where they were born. The results show that chronic typhoid carriers die of hepatobiliary cancer six times more often than the matched controls and that this difference is significant (P less than 0.001) by simple chi2 test and by the Mantel-Haenszel method of chi2 for matched triples. Possible mechanisms for this association are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Bone and joint infections due to Salmonella.

A search of the records at the New York City Department of Health and the charts of patients at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital identified 37 cases of bone infection and nine cases of joint infection due to Salmonella between 1964 and 1978. Factors that apparently contributed to the development of either osteomyelitis or septic arthritis in 23 of the patients included hemoglobinopathy, previous trauma or surgery, connective tissue disorder, and lymphoma. Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis were the most common serotypes involved with bone infections, whereas members of the C1 serogroup were the most common cause of septic joint infections. Isolates of C1 serogroup Salmonella were represented in both bone and joint infections with frequencies (24% and 67%, respectively) disproportionate to the numbers of Salmonella isolated from other sources during this period. Therapy for joint infections was usually successful, with minimal residual damage. Therapy for acute osteomyelitis was unaccountably inadequate, with many patients (47%) developing chronic infections. Use of inappropriate therapy or an insufficient period of therapy were the most important factors contributing to poor outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Transfusion malaria as a consequence of the 1974 war between Turkey and Greece--two cases.

Two cases of transfusion induced Plasmodium malariae malaria that occurred in August and September 1974 in New York City were direct results of the outbreak of war between Turkey and Greece on the island of Cyprus in July 1974. The cases could be traced to two Greek immigrants with latent infection (one being the longest ever recorded) who independently donated blood after solicitation for people in need living in the country of their ancestors. In view of current rules for donor acceptability, attention should be directed domestically towards careful surveillance for an increased occurrence of transfusion malaria.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

A continuing common-source outbreak of botulism in a family.

In December, 1974, three cases of botulism occurred in a family; two were fatal. The first patient died after a 10-day illness without botulism being suspected. 4 days later, after a 2-day illness, the second patient was diagnosed as having botulism after a cardiorespiratory arrest; she died 3 days later. In the third patient, the only symptom was dysphagia. Clostridium botulinum type B was found in stool specimens from all three patients. Home-canned (bottled) mushrooms, which were found to contain C. botulinum type B and its toxin, were believed to be responsible for the outbreak; mushrooms were found at necropsy in the gastrointestinal tracts of both patients who died. Heat treatment of the mushrooms during canning had been inadequate.

Adult↗