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Biomedical subjects

S B Werner

Publications and source records attributed to S B Werner.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Scombroid poisoning. Report of an outbreak.

An outbreak of scombroid poisoning occurred in San Francisco in the fall of 1977. The vehicle was sashimi prepared from spoiled tuna fish. Prompt public health measures prevented further consumption of the implicated food. Laboratory studies showed the presence in the tuna of bacterial species capable of producing large amounts of histamine, a substance strongly implicated in scombroid poisoning. Chemical analysis showed that histamine is very unevenly distributed in the flesh of spoiling tuna, therefore accounting for the sometimes random occurrence of disease among people eating the same food at the same table.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Trichinosis acquired at sea--report of an outbreak.

In 1974, at least 13 persons acquired trichinosis aboard a luxury liner en route to Alaska. Epidemiologic investigation implicated ground beef served on the ship as the vehicle of transmission. The beef is thought to have been contaminated by pork which had previously been frozen, though presumably not under trichinacidal conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of trichinosis acquired at sea.

Animals↗
PubMed1973

Botulism--diagnosis, management and public health considerations.

Botulism is an uncommon but often fatal disease associated with ingestion of a potent neurotoxin present in improperly preserved foods. Exposures to commercially preserved foods with an odd or peculiar taste almost never represent exposure to botulism toxin. Improperly prepared home-canned products which are tasted or consumed without heating are more likely to be associated with botulism. The management of suspect and confirmed cases of botulism is presented by medical epidemiologists in the State Department of Public Health, Bureau of Communicable Disease Control, to provide physicians in California with a practical approach to this problem.

Botulism↗
PubMed1973

Coccidioidomycosis in Northern California. An outbreak among archeology students near Red Bluff.

An outbreak of coccidioidomycosis occurred among 39 archeology students in the summer of 1972. The students excavated Indian ruins near Red Bluff in Tehama County, California, 20 miles north of the previously recognized northernmost limit of endemicity. At least 17 persons contracted an illness clinically compatible with a diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis. Coccidioidomycosis was documented by skin test conversion as well as by specific serologic reactions. Coccidioides immitis was also isolated from two soil samples taken at the excavation site. In light of its ecological requirements, it is doubtful that C. immitis will be recovered much farther north than Red Bluff. The occupational hazard of coccidioidomycosis to archeologists and others employed in known endemic areas remains a substantial threat to health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1972

Importation of Shiga bacillus dysentery into California. Clinical and public health significance.

Concurrent with the regional epidemic of classic Shiga dysentery in Central America during 1969 and 1970, a pronounced increase in the isolation of Shigella dysenteriae type 1 was noted in California. A retrospective study of 20 cases diagnosed in California in 1969 and 1970 revealed that 18 of the patients had traveled to Central America or Mexico during or immediately before the onset of symptoms. Sixteen were known to have been admitted to hospital; there was one death. Despite the concern that such importations might result in epidemics in this country among groups living in crowded, unsanitary settings, no definite secondary transmission was identified in this study. The problems of differential diagnosis, laboratory isolation of the agent, chemotherapy, and epidemic control are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1971

Complications of rubella immunization in children.

A rubella vaccine, prepared in dog kidney cell culture, was given to 4,734 primary school children in one California county in May, 1970. Adverse reactions of arthritis, arthralgia and paresthesia were reported two to eight weeks later. Paresthesia was a very prominent complaint and showed a peculiar diurnal pattern. Objective findings in a group of symptomatic children who came to medical attention were limited to tender, swollen, small joints. Rubella virus was isolated from throat swabs from two children with symptoms 38 and 43 days after immunization.A sample telephone survey of immunized and non-immunized children was conducted two to three months after the vaccination program to estimate the frequency, type, and distribution of reactions. Approximately 7 percent of inoculated children had symptoms subsequent to vaccination. Almost no reactions were found in the control group. There was a preponderance of girls affected, but symptoms appeared to be more severe in boys. The highest complication rate was found in the youngest age group. These reactions should be brought to the attention of medical groups and the public, but since these reactions are usually mild and self-limited, ongoing immunization programs need not be altered.

Arthritis↗