Wounds caused by corn-harvesting machines: an unusual source of infection due to gram-negative bacilli.
The infectious complications in 23 patients with mutilating wounds due to trauma during corn harvesting were compared with those in 41 patients with factory-related hand injuries of similar severity. Initial cultures revealed bacterial growth in 89% of the agricultural wounds and in 63% of the factory wounds. A mean of 3.8 initial bacterial species were isolated per corn-harvesting wound vs. 0.9 species per factory wound. Gram-negative rods were recovered from 81% of the agricultural wounds; the commonest of these organisms were Enterobacter species and Xanthomonas maltophilia. Only 7% of factory-wound cultures grew gram-negative rods. Osteomyelitis, all with gram-negative rods, developed in five (22%) of the patients with farm injuries but did not occur in patients with factory wounds. More gram-negative rods were recovered from environmental cultures of corn-harvesting machines and corn plants than from those of factory machinery.
D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D004754:Enterobacter / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D014974:Xanthomonas / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003313:Zea mays