Walter G. Strauss

Human Sweat Components Attractive to Mosquitoes

WHETHER human sweat is attractive to mosquitoes is a controversial problem. Hewlett1, Rudolfs2 and Rahm3 concluded that human sweat was not attractive; however, Parker4 and Brown5,6 found the contrary. Recently, Brown7,8 reported that lysine and alanine are attractive to Aedes aegypti (L.).

BACTERIAL INTERFERENCE: RELATING TO CHRONIC FURUNCULOSIS IN MAN*

Any physician claiming a cure for recurrent furunculosis must bear in mind their curious natural history. The definitive controlled study is that of Roodyn in the British Isles (Roodyn, lOfiO). He observed families over many years and demonstrated sporadic patterns of iufeetions. He cultured and phage typed their boils. As seen in Kig. 1, one strain of staphylococci ])roduced infection in this family intermittently over () years. The faetors responsible for the general quiescence and only oooasional presence of disease remain unknown for most infectious diseases. His data shows that if one lelied on sliort term studies or inadequately controlled studies, one could easily claim therapeutic response where, in fact, the natural history only was being observed. We ])reviously examined the effect of stapliylococcus toxoids in cbronic furunculosis (Maibach and Kligman, 1962). We studied a population of four groups each of 150 mental defectives iu a closed ])opu]ation. These groups had a past history of numerous episodes of furuncules each year. The vaccines studied were of Ii types; fortunately we utilized a placebo group. As demonstrated in Fig. 2, we might have been led to believe that a dramatic therapeutic result had occurred equally iu the vaccine groups. The placebo group had a similar fortuitous response. These examples demonstrate the liazards of attemjiting to prove therapeutic response in furunculosis.

Why the Mosquito Bites: A Tale of Blood, Sweat and Tears

Through much of the world, mosquito-borne diseases remain a major cause of sickness and death. Interrupting disease transmission by keeping the flying needle from making its nefarious injection for...

Changing Staphylococcal Phage Types in Therapy of Recurrent Furunculosis.

Excerpt This study concerns a 43-year-old housewife with an 8-year history of recurring furuncles and carbuncles. For a 1½-year period repeated cultures of abscesses and multiple other sites, inclu...