1. Wounds caused by corn-harvesting machines: an unusual source of infection due to gram-negative bacilli.
- Author
-
Agger WA, Cogbill TH, Busch H Jr, Landercasper J, and Callister SM
- Subjects
- Adult, Enterobacter isolation & purification, Female, Gram-Negative Bacteria isolation & purification, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Occupational Diseases microbiology, Retrospective Studies, Xanthomonas isolation & purification, Zea mays, Agricultural Workers' Diseases microbiology, Bacterial Infections microbiology, Wound Infection microbiology
- 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.
- Published
- 1986
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