Modification of Major Contributors Responsible for Latrine Malodor on Exposure to Hypochlorous Acid: The Potential for Simultaneously Impacting Odor and Infection Hazards to Encourage Latrine Use.

Open defecation remains a common practice in developing countries and leads to high incidence and prevalence of acute gastroenteritis, which is most often caused by human noroviruses (human NoV). Encouraging the use of toilets and pit latrines is one method of improving sanitation; however, it is often hindered by not only cultural traditions but also from a reluctance to use latrines and toilets due to their odor and impression of uncleanliness. In an effort to establish new means to encourage toilet and latrine use, laboratory experiments tested the ability of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) to modify the malodorous compounds identified in the air in latrines in developing countries (indole, p-cresol, dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS), and butyric acid) and inactivate MS2 bacteriophage, a surrogate for human NoV. After 5 minutes, > 94% of indole, p-cresol, DMDS, and DMTS was modified as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography in the presence of 100 ppm HOCl. A log10 reduction value (LRV) greater than 6 was seen for MS2 bacteriophage after 5 minutes of exposure to 100 ppm HOCl in solution. Sensory studies indicated that there was a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05) between the untreated and HOCl-treated samples for all five malodorous compounds tested. The findings suggest that introduction of HOCl into the headspace air could encourage latrine and toilet use. Optimization of HOCl dosing in air to accomplish both odor control and reduction of infectious hazards is worthy of further study.

Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality in a 4-year-old child: hypoperfusion injury or direct trauma?

Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality is uncommon even in major paediatric trauma. A case is described of a 4-year-old girl sustaining multiple injuries from blunt trauma including spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality. She was profoundly shocked with extensive thoracic, abdominal and pelvic injuries. An MRI performed 8 days after injury showed an ischaemic area from T8 to L2 consistent with hypoperfusion. Various possible aetiologies exist, including distraction, hyperflexion, hyperextension and ischaemic spinal cord damage. In this case the likely cause was spinal ischaemia. The anterior spinal and two posterior spinal arteries supply the spinal cord. The aorta feeds these superiorly via the subclavian and vertebral arteries, and inferiorly via the radicular arteries. Injury may tear these conduit arteries from the aorta causing cord ischaemia. This is important in the thoracolumbar area where the radicular artery of Adamkewicz supplies a large area of the spinal cord. The artery of Adamkewicz may have been interrupted directly by blunt trauma. The other cause of ischaemia is the systemic hypoperfusion sustained owing to profound hypovolaemia, which could also correlate with the child's reported transient blindness. Treatment and prognosis of spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality are considered.