Wounds Caused By Corn Harvesting Machines: An Unusual Source of Infection Due to Gram Negative Bacilli

  • Agger, William A.;
  • Busch, Jr., Henry M.;
  • Callister, Steven M.;
  • Cogbill, Thomas H.;
  • Landercasper, Jeffrey
More Like This

AUTHOR ABSTRACT

The infectious complications in 23 patients with mutilating wounds due to trauma during corn harvesting were compared with those in 41 patients with factory-related hand injuries of similar severity. Initial cultures revealed bacterial growth in 89% of the agricultural wounds and in 63% of the factory wounds. A mean of 3.8 initial bacterial species were isolated per corn-harvesting wound vs.0.9 species per factory wound. Gram-negative rods were recovered from 81% of the agricultural wounds; the commonest of these organisms were Enterobacter species and Xanthomonas maltophilia. Only 7% of factory-wound cultures grew gram-negative rods. Osteomyelitis, all with gram-negative rods, developed in five (22%) of the patients with farm injuries but did not occur in patients with factory wounds. More gram-negative rods were recovered from environmental cultures of corn-harvesting machines and corn plants than from those of factory machinery.

JOURNAL AND NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE ID#

JOURNAL: Rev Infect Dis. 1986; 8(6): 927-931.

Note: Reviews of Infectious Diseases.

NLOM ID#: 87093727 .

Publication #: 87093727

This document was extracted from the CDC-NIOSH Epidemiology of Farm Related Injuries: Bibliography With Abstracts, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

We are unable to supply copies of the full report cited in this entry. Readers are advised to use the following sources:

  • Author or publisher: articles are frequently available from the author or publisher.
  • Medical or other research libraries: these facilities often have the material on hand or know where it can be obtained. If available, each journal entry includes the appropriate National Library of Medicine unique identification number to aid in interlibrary loan requests.
  • Government: some U.S. Government-sponsored research reports, including ones out-of print, are available from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce.

Disclaimer and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More

BACK TO TOP