Laboratory exposures to staphylococcal enterotoxin B

Staphylococcal enterotoxins are 23- to 29-kDa polypeptides in the bacterial superantigen protein family. Clinical symptoms from intoxication with staphylococcal enterotoxins vary by exposure route. Ingestion results in gastrointestinal symptoms, and inhalation results in fever as well as pulmonary a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inEmerging infectious diseases Vol. 10; no. 9; pp. 1544 - 1549
Main Authors Rusnak, Janice M, Kortepeter, Mark, Ulrich, Robert, Poli, Mark, Boudreau, Ellen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.09.2004
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Subjects
Accidents, Occupational
Adult
agents of bioterrorism
Air Pollutants, Occupational - toxicity
conjunctivitis
Enterotoxins - toxicity
Eye Diseases - chemically induced
Female
Gastrointestinal Diseases - chemically induced
Health aspects
Humans
Laboratories - standards
laboratory exposures
Male
occupational exposures
Staphylococcal enterotoxin B
Staphylococcal infections
toxins
United States
USA
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Staphylococcal enterotoxins are 23- to 29-kDa polypeptides in the bacterial superantigen protein family. Clinical symptoms from intoxication with staphylococcal enterotoxins vary by exposure route. Ingestion results in gastrointestinal symptoms, and inhalation results in fever as well as pulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms. Review of occupational exposures at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases from 1989 to 2002 showed that three laboratory workers had symptoms after ocular exposure to staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). Conjunctivitis with localized cutaneous swelling occurred in three persons within 1 to 6 hours after exposure to SEB; two of these persons also had gastrointestinal symptoms, which suggests that such symptoms occurred as a result of exposure by an indirect cutaneous or ocular route. Ocular exposures from SEB resulting in conjunctivitis and localized swelling have not previously been reported. Symptoms from these patients and review of clinical symptoms of 16 laboratory-acquired inhalational SEB intoxications may help healthcare workers evaluate and identify SEB exposures in laboratory personnel at risk.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1080-6040
1080-6059
DOI:10.3201/eid1009.040250