Outbreak of boils in an Alaskan village: a case-control study.
West J Med
; 172(4): 235-9, 2000 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10778372
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To determine whether taking steam baths was associated with furunculosis and to evaluate possible risk factors for the occurrence of boils during a large outbreak in Alaska.DESIGN:
A cohort study of village residents, a case-control study, and assessment of environmental cultures taken from steam baths.SETTING:
Village in southwestern Alaska.PARTICIPANTS:
1 adult member from 77 of the 92 households in the village was interviewed; 115 residents with at least one boil occurring between January 1 and December 12, 1996 were considered to be cases; 209 residents without a boil acted as the control group. All 459 village residents were included in the cohort study. MAIN OUTCOMEMEASURE:
Rate of infection among all residents and residents who regularly took steam baths, risk factors for infection, and relative risk of infection.RESULTS:
115 people (25%) had had at least one boil. Men were more likely to have had a boil than women (relative risk 1.5; 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 2.2). The highest rate of infection was among people ages 25-34 years (32/76; 42%). No children younger than 2 years had had boils. Boils were associated with using a steam bath (odds ratio 8.1; 3.3 to 20.1). Among those who used a steam bath, the likelihood of developing boils was reduced by routinely sitting on a towel while bathing, which women were more likely to do, and bathing with fewer than 8 people. Of the 93 samples taken from steam baths, one Staphylococcus aureus isolate was obtained from a bench in an outer dressing room.CONCLUSION:
Using a steam bath was associated with developing boils in this outbreak in a village in Alaska. People should be advised to sit on towels while using steam baths.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Surtos de Doenças
/
Furunculose
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Child
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Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
West J Med
Ano de publicação:
2000
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos