Abstract
A bacteriological survey was undertaken on clinically infected traumatic wounds amongst a group of young and fit Operation Raleigh members, who were living and working in a remote area of Costa Rican rain forest. All infected wounds were swabbed before treatment and, where possible, at intervals during treatment. Swabs were also obtained from the nose and throat of each patient. All swabs were stored by desiccation in sterile silica gel for culture at a later date. Culture revealed a high rate of isolation of Bacillus cereus from the wounds. The organism was commonly isolated in pure and heavy growth. Contamination by B. cereus was considered and excluded experimentally. Preliminary toxological studies have shown that the majority of the isolates produce a necrotic exotoxin, in keeping with the clinical findings. These results suggest that B. cereus caused significant sepsis in this series of traumatic wounds.
Full text
PDF

Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bacillus cereus infections. J Clin Pathol. 1980 Mar;33(3):314–315. doi: 10.1136/jcp.33.3.314-a. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fitzpatrick D. J., Turnbull P. C., Keane C. T., English L. F. Two gas-gangrene-like infections due to Bacillus cereus. Br J Surg. 1979 Aug;66(8):577–579. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800660819. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mortimer P. R., McCann G. Food-poisoning episodes associated with Bacillus cereus in fried rice. Lancet. 1974 May 25;1(7865):1043–1045. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)90434-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Taplin D., Lansdell L., Allen A. M., Rodriguez R., Cortes A. Prevalence of streptococcal pyoderma in relation to climate and hygiene. Lancet. 1973 Mar 10;1(7802):501–503. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)90324-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Taplin D., Lansdell L. Value of desiccated swabs for streptococcal epidemiology in the field. Appl Microbiol. 1973 Jan;25(1):135–138. doi: 10.1128/am.25.1.135-138.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tuazon C. U., Murray H. W., Levy C., Solny M. N., Curtin J. A., Sheagren J. N. Serious infections from Bacillus sp. JAMA. 1979 Mar 16;241(11):1137–1140. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Turnbull P. C., French T. A., Dowsett E. G. Severe systemic and pyogenic infections with Bacillus cereus. Br Med J. 1977 Jun 25;1(6077):1628–1629. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6077.1628. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Turnbull P. C., Jørgensen K., Kramer J. M., Gilbert R. J., Parry J. M. Severe clinical conditions associated with Bacillus cereus and the apparent involvement of exotoxins. J Clin Pathol. 1979 Mar;32(3):289–293. doi: 10.1136/jcp.32.3.289. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Turnbull P. C., Kramer J. M. Non-gastrointestinal Bacillus cereus infections: an analysis of exotoxin production by strains isolated over a two-year period. J Clin Pathol. 1983 Oct;36(10):1091–1096. doi: 10.1136/jcp.36.10.1091. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wannamaker L. W. Differences between streptococcal infections of the throat and of the skin. I. N Engl J Med. 1970 Jan 1;282(1):23–31. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197001012820106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]