Academic literature on the topic 'Skin Diseases Victoria'

BackgroundOccupational contact dermatitis is one of the most common occupational diseases, but there is a lack of reliable information on incidence. Despite acknowledged limitations, workers’ compensation statistics may provide insights into contact dermatitis patterns.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to characterise historical patterns of workers’ compensation claims for occupational contact dermatitis.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of workers’ compensation claims for occupational contact dermatitis from 1996–2015 (n=3,348) accepted by WorkSafe Victoria in Victoria, Australia. Accepted claims per 1 00 000 person-years stratified by sex, age and industry were calculated. Denominators for the population at risk were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics using Victorian Labour Force Survey data.ResultsThe compensation claims rate of occupational contact dermatitis was 6.72 per 1 00 000 person-years for the overall twenty-year period. There was a significant reduction in claims from 11.84 in 1996 to 1.78 in 2015. Males had a higher overall claims rate of 7.97 compared to the rate for females of 5.18. Over the twenty-year period the rate for males decreased from 14.46 to 1.7 compared to a reduction from 8.4 to 1.8 for females. This decrease was still observed when the data were standardised for underlying changes in the age structure of the population. There was an overall decline across all high-risk occupational groupsConclusionsThere was a fivefold decrease in accepted claims for occupational contact dermatitis for the twenty-year period from January 1996 to December 2015 for the state of Victoria in Australia. These results need to be regarded with caution as the declining rate of accepted occupational contact dermatitis claims may indicate changes in workplace dermal exposures or improvements in workplace skin protection practices over time, or they may be driven by underlying changes to the workers’ compensation system or changes to claims behaviour amongst workers.

Skin scuffing is a problem of washing of the individual potato varieties, which is particularly important at harvests of physiologically immature tubers. Washing of such tubers cannot be recommended. Discoloration of scuffed tuber parts is another problem, which is exhibited by gray, brown to black color. Greening of washed tubers is mostly influenced by storage manner that also affects tuber sprouting. Mechanical damage, occurrence of several diseases, abiotic injuries, pest damages is also a problem. Various responses of potato varieties were found to tuber washing. Varieties with rough, netted skin, physiologically immature tubers, infected with diseases, mechanically damaged, susceptible to soft rot, expressing abiotic changes are not suitable for the washing. Tubers of varieties with smooth and bright skin, without scuffing, with later greening in the light, free of disease and abiotic injury presence and non-damaged by pests are suitable for washing. From this view the best results of tuber washing were obtained with varieties and hybrids: Adéla,Astoria, Belladonna, Dali, Ditta, Flavia, Futura, Katka, Kordoba, Kornelie, Lady Christl, Laura, Milva, Princess, Redstar, Rosara, Samantana, Satina, Secura, Velox,Vera,Victoria, KE 524-11, KE 12-83.

SUMMARYA multi-state outbreak of Salmonella enterica serovar Saintpaul infection occurred in Australia during October 2006. A case-control study conducted in three affected jurisdictions, New South Wales, Victoria and Australian Capital Territory, included 36 cases with the outbreak-specific strain of S. Saintpaul identified by multiple locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) in a faecal specimen and 106 controls. Consumption of cantaloupe (rockmelon) was strongly associated with illness (adjusted OR 23·9 95%, 95% CI 5·1–112·4). S. Saintpaul, with the outbreak MLVA profile, was detected on the skin of two cantaloupes obtained from an implicated retailer. Trace-back investigations did not identify the specific source of the outbreak strain of S. Saintpaul, but multiple Salmonella spp. were detected in environmental samples from farms and packing plants investigated during the trace-back operation. Cantaloupe production and processing practices pose a potential public health threat requiring regulatory and community educational interventions.

Abstract There is a global concern regarding the occurrences of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and their effects on human health. Lake Victoria (LV) has been reported to face eutrophication challenges, resulting in an increase of bloom-forming cyanobacteria. This study is aimed at understanding the association of HABs and health risks at Ukerewe Island. A cross-sectional study conducted on 432 study subjects and water samples for cyanobacteria species identification were collected at LV shores. The results reveal that concentrations of cyanobacteria cells are beyond (WHO) acceptable limits; species of Microcystis aeruginosa range from 90,361.63 to 3,032.031.65 cells/mL and Anabaena spp. range from 13,310.00 to 4,814,702 cells/mL. Water usage indicates that 31% use lake water, 53% well water and 16% treated supplied pipe water. Vomiting and throat irritation was highly reported by lake water users as compared to wells and pipe water (P < 0.001). Gastrointestinal illness (GI) was significantly elevated among lake water users as compared to pipe and well water users (P < 0.001). Visible blooms in lake water were associated with GI, skin irritation and vomiting as compared to water without visible blooms (P < 0.001). The concentration of cyanobacteria blooms poses greater risks when water is used without treatment.

ABSTRACTBuruli ulcer (BU) is a necrotizing infection of subcutaneous tissue that is caused byMycobacterium ulceransand is responsible for disfiguring skin lesions. The disease is endemic to specific geographic regions in the state of Victoria in southeastern Australia. Growing evidence of the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy forM. ulceransdisease has evolved our practice to the use of primarily oral medical therapy. An observational cohort study was performed on all confirmedM. ulceranscases treated with primary rifampin-based medical therapy at Barwon Health between October 2010 and December 2014 and receiving 12 months of follow-up. One hundred thirty-two patients were managed with primary medical therapy. The median age of patients was 49 years, and nearly 10% had diabetes mellitus. Lesions were ulcerative in 83.3% of patients and at WHO stage 1 in 78.8% of patients. The median duration of therapy was 56 days, with 22 patients (16.7%) completing fewer than 56 days of antimicrobial treatment. Antibiotic-associated complications requiring cessation of one or more antibiotics occurred in 21 (15.9%) patients. Limited surgical debridement was performed on 30 of these medically managed patients (22.7%). Cure was achieved, with healing within 12 months, in 131 of 132 patients (99.2%), and cosmetic outcomes were excellent. Primary rifampin-based oral medical therapy forM. ulceransdisease, combined with either clarithromycin or a fluoroquinolone, has an excellent rate of cure and an acceptable toxicity profile in Australian patients. We advocate for further research to determine the optimal and safest minimum duration of medical therapy for BU.

Abstract Background The prevalence of allergy-related diseases is increasing in low-income countries. Parasitic helminths, common in these settings, may be protective. We hypothesized that intensive, community-wide, anthelminthic mass drug administration (MDA) would increase allergy-related diseases, while reducing helminth-related morbidity. Methods In an open, cluster-randomized trial (ISRCTN47196031), we randomized 26 high-schistosomiasis-transmission fishing villages in Lake Victoria, Uganda, in a 1:1 ratio to receive community-wide intensive (quarterly single-dose praziquantel plus albendazole daily for 3 days) or standard (annual praziquantel plus 6 monthly single-dose albendazole) MDA. Primary outcomes were recent wheezing, skin prick test positivity (SPT), and allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (asIgE) after 3 years of intervention. Secondary outcomes included helminths, haemoglobin, and hepatosplenomegaly. Results The outcome survey comprised 3350 individuals. Intensive MDA had no effect on wheezing (risk ratio [RR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64–1.93), SPT (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.85–1.42), or asIgE (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.82–1.12). Intensive MDA reduced Schistosoma mansoni infection intensity: the prevalence from Kato Katz examinations of single stool samples from each patient was 23% versus 39% (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.55–0.88), but the urine circulating cathodic antigen test remained positive in 85% participants in both trial arms. Hookworm prevalence was 8% versus 11% (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.31–1.00). There were no differences in anemia or hepatospenomegaly between trial arms. Conclusions Despite reductions in S. mansoni intensity and hookworm prevalence, intensive MDA had no effect on atopy, allergy-related diseases, or helminth-related pathology. This could be due to sustained low-intensity infections; thus, a causal link between helminths and allergy outcomes cannot be discounted. Intensive community-based MDA has a limited impact in high-schistosomiasis-transmission fishing communities, in the absence of other interventions. Clinical Trials Registration ISRCTN47196031.

For many wildlife species only limited data are available on haematology and blood biochemistry for free-ranging populations because these are often difficult to obtain. We collected blood samples from wild adult mountain brushtail possums (Trichosurus cunninghami) in the Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria (Australia), over two years, to provide reference values for haematological and some serum biochemical parameters (serum protein, sodium, chloride, potassium, urea, creatinine, creatine kinase and cortisol) for free-ranging animals. We also investigated patterns associated with sex, season, age, habitat type and disease status, including a form of skin disease (rumpwear – one of the major diseases of brushtail possums) and parasite loads. Values for several blood parameters correlated with sex, and most also changed significantly with season. Eosinophil counts increased significantly with the number of strongyle eggs in faeces, and packed cell volume decreased significantly with increasing numbers of ticks. Surprisingly, there was a significant negative relationship between mean population serum cortisol concentrations and the prevalence of rumpwear. Serum sodium and chloride concentrations were significantly lower in possums with moderate to severe rumpwear; however, the biological significance of this is unclear. While there is a growing body of data on the blood parameters of marsupials, these are mainly derived from captive animals, or single sample sets from wild populations, thus are unlikely to accurately reflect the changing status of wild animals/populations across seasons and under varying environmental conditions and parasite loads. More comprehensive, longer-term data from free-ranging marsupial populations, such as those presented here, provide extremely important reference data to aid in determining the health status of wild populations and interpreting data collected from individuals.

Background Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease and a serious global-health problem with over 230 million people requiring treatment, of which the majority live in Africa. In Uganda, over 4 million people are infected. Extensive parasitological data exist on infection prevalence, intensities and the impact of repeated praziquantel mass drug administration (MDA). However, how perceptions of schistosomiasis shape prevention and treatment practices and their implications for control measures are much less well understood. Methods Rapid ethnographic appraisals were performed for six weeks in each of three Schistosoma mansoni high endemicity communities on the shores of Lake Victoria, Mayuge District, Uganda. Data were collected between September 2017 and April 2018. Data were collected through structured observations, transect walks, and participant observation, and sixty in-depth interviews and 19 focus group discussions with purposively recruited participants. Data were analyzed thematically using iterative categorization, looking at five key areas: perceptions of 1) the symptoms of schistosomiasis; 2) the treatment of schistosomiasis; 3) how schistosomiasis is contracted; 4) how schistosomiasis is transmitted onwards and responsibilities associated with this; and 5) how people can prevent infection and/or onward transmission. Results Observations revealed open defecation is a common practice in all communities, low latrine coverage compared to the population, and all communities largely depend on lake water and contact it on daily basis. Perceptions that a swollen stomach was a sign/symptom of ‘ekidada’ (caused by witchcraft) resulted in some people rejecting free praziquantel in favour of herbal treatment from traditional healers at a fee. Others rejected praziquantel because of its perceived side effects. People who perceived that schistosomiasis is caught from drinking unboiled lake water did not seek to minimize skin contact with infected water sources. Community members had varied perceptions about how one can catch and transmit schistosomiasis and these perceptions affect prevention and treatment practices. Open defecation and urinating in the lake were considered the main route of transmission, all communities attributed blame for transmission to the fishermen which was acknowledged by some fishermen. And, lastly, schistosomiasis was considered hard to prevent due to lack of access to safe water. Conclusion Despite over 15 years of MDA and associated education, common misconceptions surrounding schistosomiasis exist. Perceptions people have about schistosomiasis profoundly shape not only prevention but also treatment practices, greatly reducing intervention uptake. Therefore, we advocate for a contextualized health education programme, alongside MDA, implementation of improved access to safe-water and sanitation and continued research.

The article presents the results of a study of the distribution and seasonal dynamics of arachnoentomoses of horses. Arachnoses and entomoses - invasive diseases caused by arthropods - ticks and insects, temporary and permanent parasites of animals, causing enormous economic damage to horse breeding. Horses can be parasitized by subcutaneous mosquitoes - oviparous and live-bearing two-winged insects that parasitize in the larval stage. The aim of the research was to study the distribution of arachnoentomoses of horses in farms of different forms of ownership depending on the season. The research was conducted during 2019-2020 on horses of different breeds and age groups in the farm STOV "Victoria" of Krasnopil district and private farms of Sumy region. In order to detect entoparasites and endoparasites in horses, diagnostic studies (epizootological, clinical and laboratory) were performed. A total of 68 animals of different age groups were studied. Extensiveness and intensity of chorioptosis and sarcoptosis invasion were determined by the mortal method using 10% sodium hydroxide solution. To the scrapes taken from the affected areas of the skin was added a 10% solution of sodium hydroxide, moved and left for 30 minutes. to soften the crusts. Then the material was placed in small portions on a glass slide and examined under a microscope at low magnification. Extensiveness and intensity of hematopinosis invasion were determined during examination of horses on the skin, in the neck, shoulders, tail found eggs, larvae and adult lice. In turn, bloodsuckers were found during the examination on the snout, head, neck, ears, sides of the animal. Detected insects were examined with a magnifying glass. The most common arachnoentomoses of horses have been found to be hematopinosis, hypoboscosis, chorioptosis, and sarcoptosis. According to the results of our research, we found larvae eggs and mature insects in 20% of the studied animals. According to morphological features, a species affiliation was established - lice Haematopinus asini of the family Haematopinidae. In some animals, the intensity of the invasion reached 2-3 copies. parasites per 1 dm² body area of the animal. Also during the examination of horses on the snout, head, neck, ears, sides of 8% of animals were found bloodsuckers Nurrobosca equina family Hyppoboscidae. The intensity of the invasion in some animals reached 3-4 copies. parasites per 1 dm² body area of the animal. In addition to Chorioptes egui mites, Sarcoptes equi mites of the Sarcoptidae family were found in the scrapings studied. The extent of the invasion was 4.5%, and the intensity was 3 specimens of mites in the field of view of the microscope. Acariform mites of the species Chorioptes egui were found in the study of horse skin scrapings. Characteristic features of this species are the presence of long bristles that cover almost the entire body. The extent of the invasion was 8.3%, and the intensity was 2 specimens of mites in the field of view of the microscope. It was found that the peak of hematopinosis invasion occurs in the autumn-winter period of 28% and 19%, while in the spring-summer period this figure was 7% and 2%, respectively. Nurrobosca equine was found only in the summer. Simultaneous parasitization of Haematopinus asini lice and chorioptes mites was detected in horses. Acarosis chorioptosis and sarcoptosis reached the peak of invasion in the autumn-winter period of 20% and 22% and 8% and 7%, respectively.

Victorian sensation literature was inextricably related to identity and the body: its primary purposes were to elicit a physical response from the senses of readers and to question “the social formation of the self” (Taylor, The Secret 2). Sensation fiction regularly relied on different, deformed, or diseased bodies to provoke fear or unease in its readers, and it created anxiety by juxtaposing the domestic with scandal, crime, and Gothicism to disturb the perceived stability of the home and social identity. Lyn Pykett argues that the genre reproduces the “real mid-nineteenth-century anxiety” that domestic selfhood “could be disrupted by danger, death or disease on the one hand, and the vagaries of the law, the banking system or the stockmarket on the other” (“Collins” 59). Nineteenth-century critics’ reactions to sensation novels connected anxieties about the body to fears about the instability of social identity: contemporary reviews described sensation literature and its works as “feverish” (Smith 141), “a collective cultural nervous disorder” (Taylor, The Secret 4), and as “symptoms of . . . social disease” (Pykett, “Collins” 51). In his 1880–81 series of essays, “Fiction Fair and Foul,” John Ruskin argues that the “[p]hysically diseased, ‘deformed,’ and ignobly dead bodies [in Collins's and Dickens's novels] are symptomatic of diseased and deformed genres, produced by morally and physically ill writers to cater to the tastes of morally and physically diseased urban readers” (Holmes, Fictions 92). These extreme critical responses, as well as the extreme popularity of sensation fiction, call attention to Victorian preoccupation with the body and social identity and with the instability of both. This paper, through analyzing the instability of bodies and identities in Wilkie Collins's sensation novel No Name (1862) and its serial context, challenges readings by both Victorian and more recent critics that distinctly interpret diseased and disabled bodies in the novel as either symbolic of or a result of social deviance.

‘Monsieur, have you any hope of saving Monsieur and Madame Crevel?’ Victorin asked Bianchon. ‘I hope to, but have no faith that I shall,’ replied Bianchon. ‘The case is inexplicable to me. The disease is peculiar to negroes and native Americans, whose skin structure is...