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Biomedical subjects

T G Betz

Publications and source records attributed to T G Betz.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1989

Histopathology and immunohistologic demonstration of the distribution of Rickettsia typhi in fatal murine typhus.

An 81-year-old woman had chills, fever, nausea, vomiting, and epigastric pain. On day 3 she had hematuria and was treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. On day 5 she had a cough, hypotension, anemia, azotemia, and elevated hepatic enzyme levels. Her condition deteriorated with thrombocytopenia, anuria requiring dialysis, edema, and hypoalbuminemia. Treatment with chloramphenicol and doxycycline was started on day 10. By day 11, she was in hypotensive shock; on day 12 she had seizures and died. Murine typhus was diagnosed by demonstration of antibodies to Rickettsia typhi by indirect immunofluorescence. Necropsy revealed interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary edema, hyaline membranes, alveolar hemorrhages, petechiae and vasculitis in the central nervous system, interstitial myocarditis, multifocal interstitial nephritis and hemorrhages, splenomegaly, portal triaditis, and mucosal hemorrhages in urinary tract. Immunofluorescent R. typhi were demonstrated in the lungs, brain, kidneys, liver, and heart. This unusual death occurred in an elderly patient without rash who was treated too late with antirickettsial drugs.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Texas, 1978 through 1987.

From 1978 through 1987, there were 397 laboratory-confirmed cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever reported in Texas. The annual number of cases ranged from 21 cases in 1986 to 108 cases in 1983. A total of 262 cases were in males. Most of the patients (52%) were 19 years of age or younger. April through August were the months of onset of symptoms for 66% of the cases. Eighty-two percent of the infected patients were hospitalized; 14 patients died. An endemic focus of Rocky Mountain spotted fever exists in north central and northeastern Texas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Leprosy in armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) from Texas.

Tissue sections from 237 nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) from 51 central Texas counties were examined microscopically for acid-fast bacilli and/or lesions of leprosy. Neither were found. A review of the literature relative to the incidence of leprosy from armadillos in Texas indicates that residents of counties along the Texas Gulf Coast may be at risk of contracting leprosy by handling infected armadillos or their tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Epidemiology of murine typhus in Texas. 1980 through 1984.

From 1980 through 1984, a total of 200 cases of murine typhus were reported in Texas. All cases were confirmed by the indirect fluorescent antibody assay or latex agglutination test. Patients ranged in age from 1 to 90 years (median, 35 years). Fifty-one percent were female. Seventy-four percent of the patients resided in south Texas. Illness occurred in all months of the year, but 40% of the cases had onset in April, May, or June. Annual incidence increased with age and was higher in Hispanics. Murine typhus continues to be an important public health problem in Texas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

An analysis of economic costs associated with an outbreak of typhoid fever.

We examined the costs of a typhoid fever outbreak caused by exposures to contaminated food over a 47-day period at a restaurant. For the 49 respondents, the patient-related costs (+215,548) were primarily medical expenses (+183,902) and lost income or productivity (+28,603). The estimated patient-related costs for all 80 outbreak-associated cases was +351,920. Had contaminated food continued to be served, the prevention-related costs (+36,500) would have been offset by patient-related costs (+7,488/day) within 5 days.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Typhoid fever in San Antonio, Texas: an outbreak traced to a continuing source.

Eighty cases of typhoid fever occurred in San Antonio, Texas, with dates of onset from August 18, 1981, to October 26, 1981. Preliminary epidemiological investigations of the first 24 cases suggested a Mexican food takeout restaurant as the common source. A case-control study confirmed this association (P less than or equal to .001). Barbacoa , a mixture of muscle, lips, ears, tongue, and eyes from steamed bovine heads, was identified as the source of Salmonella typhi (P = .03). S typhi was cultured from the stool of one of 31 restaurant employees. Closure of the restaurant resulted in termination of the outbreak within a single incubation period. The restaurant was allowed to reopen after the remaining employees had demonstrated lack of excretion of S typhi in stools. This outbreak represents the largest restaurant-associated typhoid fever outbreak reported in the United States in greater than 50 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Occupational dermatitis associated with straw itch mites (Pyemotes ventricosus).

A 1981 outbreak of dermatitis in Austin, Tex, was traced to occupational exposure to wheat infested with the straw itch mite, Pyemotes ventricosus; the wheat was being sold for decorative purposes by an imported-goods store located on the second floor of a large, modern, shopping mall complex. In addition to an extensive varicelliform skin eruption, one employee also had chills, fever, malaise, diarrhea, and anorexia associated with her exposure to these mites. The straw itch mite has been associated with several large epidemics of dermatitis during the 19th and 20th centuries. This outbreak is the third reported in Texas since 1961. Physicians should consider the possibility of straw itch mite infestations of products brought into the home or places of employment when they observe patients with a varicelliform or chigger-bite-like dermatitis, which may be accompanied by constitutional symptoms.

Adult↗