Allergic veterinarians

The same phenothiazines or closely related compounds which are used as psychotropic drugs or as sedatives in humans are used by veterinarians and farmers as insecticides and anthelmintics for animals and birds. Table 8 lists the commercial phenothiazine insecticides and wormers used by veterinarians. Many individuals in these professions have acquired allergic contact dermatitis, photoallergic reactions, or both by spraing such phenothiazines for insect control or feeding these compounds as wormers. Such individuals must avoid using phenothiazine antihistamines because of the likelihood of producing flares of the phenothiazine dermatitis. 

Contact dermatitis due to cow saliva has been documented in a farm worker by Camarasa [162]. Contact urticaria due to horse saliva was reported by van der Mark [24]. Itching and flaring of eczema is not uncommon among veterinarian surgeons doing obstetric work. Veterinarians may be allergic to cowhair and dander or the obstetric fluid of cows [163]. 

Tylosin is a macrolide antibiotic used to combat swine dysentery in pigs and respiratory infections in poultry in the U.K. Tylosin can produce both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis [171]. Cases of occupational allergic contact dermatitis due to the macrolide spiramycin and tylosin have been reported in hog farmers and veterinarians [172, 173]. Allergic contact dermatitis to virginiamycin, a food additive for pigs and poultry, has also been reported [174]. Veien patch-tested 180 farmers to 5% virginiamycin in petrolatum but obtained no positive reactions [161]. 

According to case reports, the leading causes of recalcitrant allergic dermatitis in veterinarians have been (1) antibiotics, such as penicillins (mostly penethamate), spiramycin, streptomycin, tylosin, nitrofurantoin and neomycin (Hjorth 1967 Hjorth and Roed-Petersen 1980 Rudzki et al. 1982 Falk et al. 1985 Barbera and de la Cuadra 1989 Caraffini et al. i994)> (2) obstetric work, primarily on cows (Hjorth 1967 Prahl and Roed-Petersen 1979 Hjorth and Roed-Petersen 1980 Rudzki et al. 1982 Degreff et al. 1984 Kalveram et al. 1986 Roger et al. 1995) and (3) rubber... 

Timmer C, Coenraads PJ (1996) Allergic contact dermatitis from cow hair and dander. Contact Dermatitis 34 292-293 Visser IJ (1996) [Pustular dermatitis in veterinarians following delivery in domestic animals an occupational disease], in Dutch. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 140 1186-1190 Wiggins P, Schenker MB, Green R, Samuels S (1989) Prevalence of hazardous exposures in veterinary practices. Am J Ind Med 16 55-66... 

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