title: Bacterial contamination of cotton and cotton dust and effects on the lung.
abstract: Bacterial contamination of various parts of the cotton plant and of cotton from different mills was investigated. The predominant bacterial species were Gram-negative rods mainly of the Enterobacter genus. When guinea pigs inhaled strains of these bacteria cultivated from cotton, a strong leucocyte mobilising capacity was found for Pseudomonas and Enterobacter but not for Agrobacterium or Bacillus species. The aetiology of the development of pulmonary symptoms after inhalation of bacteria-containing dusts and subsequent production of endotoxins is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002095:Byssinosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003368:Gossypium / Q000382:microbiology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs