253 COLONIC INVOLVEMENT IN SALMONELLOSIS
an easily understood form, a feedback of useful information laboratory and medical staff.
to
SIR,—Figures reported by the Public Health Laboratory Service’ for the numbers of positive blood cultures in public Department of Microbiology, G. L. NICHOLS Worthing Hospital, health and hospital laboratories in England and Wales during Sussex BN4 6TQ M. W. N. NICHOLLS Worthing, 1975 on analysis provide tables showing the percentage of these infections which were fatal. Several factors must be considered when interpreting these figures. The age and physical and immunological state of paHYDROCARBON EXPOSURE AND CANCER tients will affect the outcome of infection, as will the virulence, invasiveness, and drug sensitivity of the organisms. The SIR,-Studies by Beirne and his colleaguesland Lagrue’ methods of isolation, identification, and interpretation vary, as have suggested that the inhalation of organic solvent vapours does the enthusiasm of people to report results to reference may contribute to the development of kidney disease. I wish to laboratories. Septicaemic patients may not die immediately, but report additional studies of the effect of exposure to organic solvents. may relapse weeks or months later, and die as a result of the Over a 15-year period, we have had the opportunity of initial infection. The table shows the percentage distribution of all salstudying patients who lived near or worked at chemical plants where mixtures of solvent vapours were often in the atmosmonellas reported from all sites, the percentages isolated from blood cultures, the percentage of bacteraemias compared with phere.4 5These patients exhibited a variety of symptoms inthe total number of isolations from all sites, and the percentage cluding fatigue, irritability, excitement, headaches, lightof bacteraemias which were fatal. Salmonella typhi and S. headedness, body aches, indecisiveness, chest pain, pain under the ribs and radiating to’the left side (pancreatic damage was paratyphi are significantly more commonly isolated from the blood of all cases infected than are S. typhimurium or other demonstrated in several patients), burning eyes, burning salmonellas P
an easily understood form, a feedback of useful information laboratory and medical staff.
to
SIR,—Figures reported by the Public Health Laboratory Service’ for the numbers of positive blood cultures in public Department of Microbiology, G. L. NICHOLS Worthing Hospital, health and hospital laboratories in England and Wales during Sussex BN4 6TQ M. W. N. NICHOLLS Worthing, 1975 on analysis provide tables showing the percentage of these infections which were fatal. Several factors must be considered when interpreting these figures. The age and physical and immunological state of paHYDROCARBON EXPOSURE AND CANCER tients will affect the outcome of infection, as will the virulence, invasiveness, and drug sensitivity of the organisms. The SIR,-Studies by Beirne and his colleaguesland Lagrue’ methods of isolation, identification, and interpretation vary, as have suggested that the inhalation of organic solvent vapours does the enthusiasm of people to report results to reference may contribute to the development of kidney disease. I wish to laboratories. Septicaemic patients may not die immediately, but report additional studies of the effect of exposure to organic solvents. may relapse weeks or months later, and die as a result of the Over a 15-year period, we have had the opportunity of initial infection. The table shows the percentage distribution of all salstudying patients who lived near or worked at chemical plants where mixtures of solvent vapours were often in the atmosmonellas reported from all sites, the percentages isolated from blood cultures, the percentage of bacteraemias compared with phere.4 5These patients exhibited a variety of symptoms inthe total number of isolations from all sites, and the percentage cluding fatigue, irritability, excitement, headaches, lightof bacteraemias which were fatal. Salmonella typhi and S. headedness, body aches, indecisiveness, chest pain, pain under the ribs and radiating to’the left side (pancreatic damage was paratyphi are significantly more commonly isolated from the blood of all cases infected than are S. typhimurium or other demonstrated in several patients), burning eyes, burning salmonellas P
