The recent cases of anthrax due to bioterrorism in the United States have reminded us that our society is also vulnerable to biological attacks. Illnesses due to bioterrorism are not naturally occurring diseases, and therefore may show presentations not familiar to many doctors. The last case of smallpox was reported in 1960, and doctors aged less than 60 years have no experience of smallpox. Anthrax is a rare zoonosis, and no case of inhalation anthrax has been reported in Korea. American doctors might be on high alert to bioterrorism after September 11, 2001. However, it took more than 2 weeks from the symptom onset of the index case to the recognition that anthrax outbreak had occurred due to bioterrorism. This delay shows how difficult it is to recognize bioterrorism. This article describes clinical recognition and management of patients exposed to biological warfare agents, especially agents causing anthrax, smallpox, plague, and botulism.
Anthrax ; Biological Warfare Agents* ; Biological Warfare* ; Bioterrorism ; Botulism* ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Plague* ; Smallpox ; United States

From the leprosy patients hospitalized at the Korean National Leprosarium on Snrokdo Island, forty-five leprosy patients with plantar ulcers were selected randomly for microbiological studies. A total of 84 strains of bacteria, with the most common being Neieseria sicca (25 strains: 29.8%), 34 strains (40. 5%) were present as a pure growth and 50 strains (59. 5%) were present in ulcers with multiple infection. Antibiotic susceptibility tests indicated that bacterial isolates were rather highly susceptible to gentarnicin and kanamycin, but varying degree of isolates were resistant to 12 antibiotics including streptomycin, rifampicin, lincomycin, penicillin, terramycin and colimycin etc. From a total of 30 plantar ulcers, 17 ulcers produced 24 strains of fungi and 1 strain of Balanticlium coli. They consisted of 17 strains of saprophytic fungi (70. 8%) and 7 strains of yeast-like fungi (29. 2%). Of the culture media for Balantidium coli, Sabourauds glucos medium is the most specific and selective that the author found.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Balantidium ; Colistin ; Culture Media ; Foot Ulcer* ; Fungi ; Humans ; Kanamycin ; Leprosy* ; Lincomycin ; Oxytetracycline ; Penicillins ; Rifampin ; Streptomycin ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Emergencies*

Vibrio vulntficus is a halophilic, gram-negative, motile, marine rod tha is capable of causing rapidly progressing, life-threatening infection in human. The illnesses associated with this organism can be categorized clinically as four groups such as wound infection, primary sept cemia, gastrointestinal illness, and other infection. The clinica1 manifestation of patients with primarys pticemia can vary from fever and chills alone to a more severe illness including secondary skin lesions, multisystem organ failure and shock. Several skin lesions are found in patients with this septicemia, including edema, blister, gangrene, localized swelling, and papura and, less comrnonly, cyanosis, maule and patch, papule, wheal, and pustule. The cutaneous lesions appear mostly on the legs. The hist pathologic findings differ according to the clinieal stage(inflammatory, bullous, and gangrenous) of the lesions. Mortality is very high. The organism is isolated mostly from skin lesion and/or blood. Vibrio vulnifices is sensitive to chloramphenicol, gentamicin, tubramycin, tetracycline, and 3rd generation cephalosporins. Most cases occur during the summer montlis, in men and in person 40 or more year of age. The illness begin with septicemia, often within 2 days of the consumption of various kinds of raw seafood such as fish, shell- fish, and brown seaweed. Patierts frequently have preexisting liver diseae and/or alcohol abuse. For prevention of Vibrio vulni ficus infections, persons with liver diseases or alcohol abuse should avoid consuming or handling raw seafood. Clinicians should start appropriate therapy promptly in patients with chronic underlying disease and a recent history of raw seafood con umption who present with unexplained febrile illness.
Alcoholism ; Blister ; Cephalosporins ; Chills ; Chloramphenicol ; Cyanosis ; Edema ; Epidemiology ; Fever ; Ficus ; Gangrene ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Leg ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Mortality ; Seafood ; Seaweed ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Skin ; Tetracycline ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

No abstract available.
Fever*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Transplants*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Dysentery, Bacillary*

Biological molecular methods were used to determinate ABO genotype determination. This method allowed extract DNA from biological samples (blood, saliva, hair root) for PCR reaction. Using PCR technique and enzymes, there were 1/3 individuals that have homozygote genotypes AA, BB, OO; 2/3 were heterozygote. In addition, this method could determine samples DNA samples from blood stains, saliva stains and hair root cells... So it has very important role in medical examination.
Methods ; ABO Blood-Group System ; Molecular Biology