PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S L Guthridge

Publications and source records attributed to S L Guthridge.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Evacuation of an Aboriginal community in response to an outbreak of blistering dermatitis induced by a beetle (Paederus australis).

OBJECTIVE: To describe an outbreak of dermatitis induced by the beetle Paederus australis and the public health measures implemented to control it. SETTING: A remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia. METHODS: Inspection of the community and interviews with residents to document skin lesions, sleeping locations and beetle activity. Samples of the beetle were collected for identification. RESULTS: The community was affected by a plague of beetles. All 40 residents reported painful, blistering, skin lesions. Four required hospitalisation for treatment of an extensive exfoliating and ulcerating dermatitis. The community was evacuated to allow skin lesions to heal and the beetle plague to decline. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported en masse outbreak of Paederus dermatitis in Australia. Paederus dermatitis should be considered as a differential diagnosis of vesicular dermatitis in tropical Australia.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Cold chain in a hot climate.

We monitored the temperatures of batches of vaccine during transport and storage from a national warehouse to five Northern Territory vaccination clinics. Electronic temperature monitors were placed with vaccines, and were programmed to record the temperature every 30 minutes for up to three months. A diary was attached to each vaccine batch to record each change in location. The temperature recordings covered 8369 hours. There were regular temperature deviations outside the recommended range. In the hot climate of the Northern Territory, freezing is the greatest threat to vaccine potency. Recommendations from the study include: routine use of cold chain indicators, increased vaccine turnover and storage of vaccines within an operational temperature range of 4 to 8 degrees C. Research is needed to investigate the efficacy of heat-stable vaccines when stored at ambient temperatures and in air-conditioned environments.

Climate↗