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An epidemic of infantile gastro-enteritis in queensland caused by Salmonella bovis-morbificans (Basenau)
- I. M. Mackerras, M. J. Mackerras
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- Journal:
- Journal of Hygiene / Volume 47 / Issue 2 / June 1949
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 15 May 2009, pp. 166-181
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There were nearly 400 cases of gastro-enteritis in Brisbane from May to October 1947. About half represented the endemic level then prevailing, and the remainder formed a virulent epidemic, which was responsible for most of the deaths. Salmonella bovismorbificans was isolated from a sufficient proportion of these cases to justify the belief that it was the cause of the epidemic.
Of recognized infections with S. bovis-morbificans 77 % were in babies under 1 year old, 19 % in those 1–2 years old, and 4 % in older children and adults. The infection was most severe in the under-1-year-old group, and severity varied during the epidemic, reaching a maximum in August and thereafter declining steadily.
Nearly two-thirds of the infections were institutional.
Infants were found to be infective during the incubation period and also for periods up to 6 months after clinical recovery. Their faeces provided the greatest mass of infective material. Infections in older age groups were relatively unimportant in relation to the rate of epidemic spread, but significant secondary centres of infection developed in mice and cockroaches in the hospital wards.
The path of infection was traced from the faeces to the sinks and brushes used for cleansing soiled napkins, to mice and cockroaches which had access to the sinks, and to ward wash-basins and nailbrushes used by the nursing staff. Possible indicators of faecal contamination were found on nurses' hands, in ward kitchens, and in milk mixtures prepared for babies' feeds.
Control is believed to be practicable and to depend, first, on making medical officers and nurses aware of the dangers; and secondly, on improved ward hygiene, of which elimination of washing napkins in wards, reduction of contamination when changing napkins, rigid segregation of ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ nurses, and improvements in food preparation and administration, are regarded as the most important.
The epidemiology of leptospirosis in North Queensland: I. General survey of animal hosts
- Marie L. Emanuel, I. M. Mackerras, D. J. W. Smith
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- Journal:
- Journal of Hygiene / Volume 62 / Issue 4 / December 1964
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 15 May 2009, pp. 451-484
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Leptospirosis is a zoonosis that causes appreciable ill health and economic loss in North Queensland. Fourteen serotypes of Leptospira were known to infect man in the area, and information on their local distribution and seasonal and occupational incidence had been obtained. The next step in the investigation was to determine the reservoir hosts and estimate their significance.
Wild animals examined comprised 5 monotremes, 643 marsupials, 2355 rodents, 67 bats, 30 birds, 28 reptiles, and 21 toads. Evidence of leptospiral infection was obtained from 223 marsupials, 309 rodents, and 6 fruit-bats. Analysis indicated that the principal maintaining hosts were: Peremeles nasuta—of L. kremastos (and possibly L. mini) in canefields and rain forest.
Isoodon macrourus—of L. broomi, L. mini, and L. kremastos in canefields.
Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus (focal), and Mus musculus (focal)—of L. zanoni in town and canefields.
Rattus sordidus conatus—of L. australis in canefields.
Rattus assimilis—of foci of L. australis, a variant of L. pomona, and probably of L. hyos in rain forests.
Random infections were also encountered, but the maintaining hosts of the other serotypes known to infect man in the area (icterohaemorrhagiae, canicola, bindjei, robinsoni, bratislava, grippotyphosa, medanensis, celledoni) were not determined.
Domestic animals examined included 137 cattle, 54 pigs, 7 sheep, 34 dogs, 31 cats, and a dairy herd in which there was an epizootic of pomona leptospirosis. Again, there was a wide scatter of infection, but, apart from the long-known association of L. pomona and L. hyos with cattle and pigs, there was no evidence of maintaining hosts in this series.
As indicated in the Introduction, the work reported here was part of a planned investigation into the epidemiology of leptospirosis. Some of the early material was collected by Dr M. J. Mackerras, Dr R. L. Doherty, Mrs D. G. Delamoir, and Miss C. J. Ross, who had previously been stationed at the Institute's Field Station, and we are indebted to Mr D. W. Lavers, Mr S. G. Knott, and Mr R. E. Dunham, of the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock, for a number of sera from domestic animals. Many of the mammals were identified by Dr W. A. McDougall, of the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock, Mr E. le G. Troughton, then of the Australian Museum, Sydney, Mr B. J. Marlow, then of the C.S.I.R.O. Wildlife Section, Canberra, and by Dr J. L. Harrison, Dr M. J. Mackerras, and Mr R. Domrow of the Institute. We are indebted also to Mrs M. Macgregor, Librarian of the Institute, for considerable help with the literature.
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