Contact Dennatitis Outbreak on the University of Hawai ' i Campus 2

s of Papers Twenty-sixth Annual Albert L. Tester Memorial Symposium, 11-12 April 2001 1 The Albert L. Tester Memorial Symposium is held in honor of Professor Albert Tester, who, at the time of his death in 1974, was senior professor of zoology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. The faculty and students of the Department of Zoology proposed an annual symposium of student research papers as a means of honoring, in a continuing and active way, Dr. Tester's lively encouragement of student research in a broad range of fields within marine biology. Papers reporting original research on any aspect of science are solicited from students at the university and these papers are presented at the symposium, which takes place during the spring semester. Income from contributions to the Albert L. Tester Memorial Fund of the University of Hawai'i Foundation is used to provide prizes for the two best papers, judged on quality, originality, and importance of research reported, as well as the quality of the public presentation. The WaikIkI Aquarium presents the Mike Weekley Award, based on the same criteria. Judges include Department of Zoology faculty members and the previous year's student award winners. In addition, a distinguished scholar from another university or research institution is invited to participate in the symposium as a judge and to present the major symposium address. This year the guest participant was Steve Jones, University College, London. Contact Dennatitis Outbreak on the University of Hawai'i Campus2 Dianna M. Appelgate3 On 22 August 2000 the University of Hawai'i's Health Care Center received the first of several cases of contact dermatitis with clinical presentation similar to that from contact with plants of the genus Rhus (poison oak, ivy, sumac). The majority of cases resided in a single dormitory (Noelani Dormitory). Because Hawai'i has few poisonous plants and no record of the poisonous species of Rhus, an outbreak investigation was initiated. Cases 1 Manuscripts accepted 1 May 200l. 2 Assistance from L. Ning, N. Arrigo, G. Floyd, G. Lurie, and E. Brown is gratefully acknowledged. 3 Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i _96822. Sponsor:_Dewolfe_Miller._ Pacific Science (2002), vol. 56, no. 1:83-100 © 2002 by University of Hawai'i Press. All rights reserved were defined as anyone with contact dermatitis, after 7 August, on the University of Hawai'i campus. A total of 106 students (53 cases/53 controls) from Noelani was asked questions regarding exposure to plants, exposure to other areas on campus, clothing, current oral medication, and previous allergies. Gender and age were not significantly associated with contact dermatitis. Ethnically, 58.7% of cases were Caucasian, significantly different from controls (38% Caucasian). Rates for those who had recently been in the Noelani courtyard were 56.3%, and 26.2% for those who had not. UH botanical experts identified two Semecarpus nigroviridis (marking nut) trees in the Noelani courtyard. The trees were cut down on 22 September and the last case was reported on 24 September. The -association-withthe courtyard, the removal of the trees, and that S. nigroviridis contains anacardic acid documented to cause contact dermatitis strongly suggest that the trees were the source of the outbreak. The high per-