Venomous Spiders of the Southeastern US: An Unexpected Threat

Background: Environmental health specialists recommend that residents of the Southeastern US, including Georgia, have the ability to identify the three venomous spiders indigenous to this area. It is necessary to recognize the black widow, brown widow, and brown recluse spiders and to be familiar with the likely habitats of these insects and with the symptoms of bites. The primary author, who serves as an Environmental Health Specialist and is a hobbyist who works with distressed wood, frequently encounters all three of these spiders. Methods: A literature review supports the fact that these three venomous spiders are indigenous to Georgia. Results: Spiders, a common sight in rural and urban areas of Georgia, are often not considered as being especially dangerous. Three common species of spiders found in Georgia are, however, venomous. Conclusions: Recognition of spiders is particularly appropriate for the protection of food service workers, employees working in tourist accommodations, and hobbyists who routinely invade spider habitats. The evaluation of educational efforts may be assessed by the numbers of reported cases of spider bites among these populations

A Retrospective Study of EPA\u27s Record of Decision Report on the Woolfolk Arsenic and Lead Contamination in Fort Valley, Georgia

Abstract Heavy metal contamination is a major anthropogenic challenge in communities with heavy presence of chemical industries. Most of the contamination is due to the improper disposal of chemical waste. The study involved the evaluation of the levels of arsenic and lead regarding remediation activities carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It compared the results of the EPA’s 1993 soil analysis of arsenic and lead, and a subsequent soil analysis of the same mapped areas. It also covered the evaluation of the level of arsenic dust in the attics of residential properties and evaluation of the EPA’s record of testing of arsenic-exposed residents of Fort Valley, Georgia. The results revealed that there is a high level of arsenic still present in the mapped areas cleaned by EPA. Therefore, there is a need for continuous monitoring of health status of the people who live in the affected area. Keywords: Environmental Protection Agency, Arsenic Contamination, Lead Contamination, Woolfolk Chemical Company, Fort Valley, Georgi

Spiritual Health: The Often-Overlooked Dimension of Health

Background: Spiritual health, one of the six dimensions of health (physical, social, intellectual, emotional, environmental, and spiritual), is often overlooked and has become less prominent in the literature and in public forums. This once-touted dimension of health is now seldom considered. Methods: A review revealed that literature on spiritual health is sparse and, when found, is dated. Results: The existing literature indicates that spiritual health relates to various aspects of well-being, including medical/physical health, mental/psychological health, and educational/intellectual health. It is likely that the decline of consideration of spiritual health is due to the decrease in public discussion of spiritual matters and to the tendency of our society to focus on “political correctness.” Conclusions: Although the fear of alienating others by political incorrectness is foremost in the minds of many, this does not negate the fact that spiritual health is of benefit and can lead many to experiencing a better standard of health. It is our contention that spiritual health is often overlooked but has benefits that need not be concealed by political correctness. Spiritual health should be returned to the mainstream of public health, where its benefits can be enjoyed by those who choose to use them

Anthelmintic resistance on goat farms in Georgia: Efficacy of anthelmintics against gastrointestinal nematodes in two selected goat herds

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasitism is a major constraint to production of goats in the southeastern United States. The conventional method of control used by producers in this region is frequent use of anthelmintics during the warm season. Overuse of anthelmintics has led to an increase in the incidence of anthelmintic resistance in many parts of the world, but data on prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in GIN of goats in the southeastern United States are very limited. To address this issue, anthelmintic efficacy was determined in goat herds at the Fort Valley State University, Agricultural Research Station (FVSU-ARS) and the University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine (UGA-CVM) using fecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests and DrenchRite® larval development assays (LDA). At FVSU-ARS, 2-year-old Spanish goat does were randomly allocated to one of nine different treatment groups (n = 10): albendazole (ABZ; 20mg/kg body weight (BW)), fenbendazole (FBZ; 20mg/kg BW), ivermectin (IVM; 0.4mg/kg BW), doramectin (DRM; 0.4mg/kg BW), moxidectin (MOX; 0.4mg/kg BW), levamisole (LEV; 12mg/kg BW), morantel tartrate (MOR; 10mg/kg BW), a combination of IVM (0.4mg/kg BW) and ABZ (20mg/kg BW), and untreated controls. At UGA-CVM, goats were randomly allocated to one of five different treatment groups (n = 8): ABZ (20mg/kg BW), IVM (0.4mg/kg BW), MOX (0.4mg/kg BW), LEV (12mg/kg BW), and untreated controls. All drugs in both experiments were administered orally. Anthelmintic efficacy was calculated by comparing 14-day post-treatment FEC of treated and control animals, and percent reductions were interpreted using the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology guidelines for resistance. For the LDA, nematode eggs were isolated from pooled fecal samples of untreated control goats in each herd and used to perform DrenchRite® assays. In the FVSU-ARS herd, MOX, LEV, the combination of IVM and ABZ, IVM, DRM, ABZ, MOR, and FBZ reduced FEC by 100, 91, 88, 78, 76, 62, 48, and 10%, respectively. In the UGA-CVM herd, MOX, LEV, ABZ and IVM, reduced FEC by 100, 94, 87, and 0%, respectively. In both herds moxidectin was the only drug tested that was fully effective. Results of the LDA were in agreement with results of the FECR tests for both herds. These data demonstrate the presence of GINs resistant to all three major anthelmintic classes in both goat herds. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V