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Abstract
An outbreak of histoplasmosis occurred in early May 1970 at a junior high school in
Delaware, Ohio; clinical illness occurred in 384 (40 per cent) of the students and
faculty, with probably an equal number of subclinical cases. The mode of spread was
airborne and was shown epidemiologically to be related to activities on Earth Day,
April 22, 1970, when the courtyard in the center of the school, an old bird roost,
was raked and swept. Contamination of the entire school building with courtyard air
occurred via the school's forced air ventilation system with intakes in the courtyard.
Soil samples from the courtyard were positive for Histoplasma capsulatum, but random
samples from other areas around the building were negative. In two persons in the
building only on April 22, the typical illness developed. Features of the outbreak
have important implications for clinicians and public health officials.
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
November 9,
1972
Received:
November 2,
1972
Identification
Copyright
© 1973 Published by Elsevier Inc.
