AJTMH ASTMH MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION: astmh@astmh.org
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 20(2), 1971, pp. 288-319
Copyright © 1971 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Edwards, P. Q.
Right arrow Articles by Billings, E. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Edwards, P. Q.
Right arrow Articles by Billings, E. L.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
*Substance via MeSH

Worldwide Pattern of Skin Sensitivity to Histoplasmin

Phyllis Q. Edwards AND Elizabeth L. Billings
Tuberculosis Branch, Center for Disease Control, U. S. Public Health Service, Atlanta, Georgia 30333

The epidemiology of human infection with Histoplasma still has many unknown aspects, but the linkage between these organisms and human beings is being elicited gradually through skin-test surveys, studies of cases of disease, and investigation of environmental factors. Skin-test studies reveal that perhaps the prevalence of histoplasmin sensitivity is highest in the United States. Several countries in Central and South America also contain areas of high prevalence. In Africa, highest reactor rates have been found in the western regions, from Liberia to the Congo. In Europe and the eastern Mediterranean zone, histoplasmal infection is uncommon in lifelong residents, although recent studies emphasize the presence of small, localized foci. In southeast Asia, reactor rates to 30% have been found; the disease is being recognized more often than previously. An unknown element is why only a small portion of the apparently millions of infected persons develop clinical disease. Probably an unusually large infecting inoculum is required to produce clinical disease, which most often has accompanied history of exposure to an extremely dusty environment heavily contaminated with bird or bat feces. Much less certain is the origin of infection for the numerous persons who do not develop clinical disease.

Accepted for publication August 17, 1970.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1971 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.