Acknowledgments Snaith, S.M. (1977) - Biochem. J . 163: 557. Healy, P.J. and Cole, A.E. (1975) - Aust. vet. J. 52: 385. ~ ~ ~ l ~ , p, J , , This work was supported by the Australian Meat Research p, J. and ~ ~ t ~ ~ j , p , ~ . (1978) - c]jn.

Chim. Acra. 88: 429. Committee.

References Jolly, R.D., Tse, C.A. and Greenway, R.M. (1973) - N.Z.

vet. J. 21: 64. (Accepted forpublication 10 May 1979)

BOOK REVIEWS

SAFE USE OF PESTICIDES

This booklet* from WHO, although dated 1973, is of cur- rent value because there is increasing concern on the toxicity of pesticides in general, and there is now a comprehensive (and very restrictive) Pesticides Act in New South Wales.

The WHO booklet is the 20th report of the Expert Commit- tee on Insecticides. It deals with many topics, quite briefly but nevertheless in a useful and helpful manner.

Part 1 on Insecticides in Public Health deals with DDT (tumourigenicity in mice, storage and excretion, levels in man, morbidity studies), WHO programme for evaluation and testing new insecticides (insecticides for residual indoor ap- plication, larvicides, insecticides for louse control in man), ultra-low-volume application (operator hazards, hazards for third parties), aircraft disinsection, alternative methods of in- sect control.

Part 2 deals with molluscicides in public health (hazards to

~~

* Safe Use of Pesticides. 20th Rept Who Expert Committee on insecticides. Technical Report Series h*. 513. 1973. Pp.54.

operators, general population, other organisms; compounds of immediate interest; studies on new molluscicides).

Part 3 is concerned with rodenticides in public health (“acute” rodenticides requiring ordinary care, maximum precautions, and too dangerous for use).

Part 4 is on health aspects of pesticides not directly associated with vector control (morbidity and mortality, data sheets, classification of pesticides, promotion of medical and other services to deal with poisoning, education and training in pesticide toxicology, use of protective clothing with particular reference to tropical areas).

Part 5 of deals with progress in diagnosis and treatment (methods for determining the extent of exposure to organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides, standardisation of methods for determining absorbtion of organochlorine pesticides, therapy of insecticidal poisoning, with a summary of treatment).

There are references to other WHO publications related to insecticides.

H. McL. Gordon

ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT ENTEROBACTERIA’

The uncontrolled and excessive use of antibiotics in man and animals has led to a disturbing increase in drug resistance on the part of pathogenic organisms and is diminishing the effec- tiveness of life-saving drugs. There is therefore a need for more rational and coordinated administration of antibiotics and for strict measures against their abuse.

This report outlines the factors involved in the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in enterobacteria, as well as the ways of controlling such resistance - mainly by means of surveillance. Laboratory methods and the collection and pro- cessing of data are described.

The meeting called for the establishment of national and in- ternational surveillance programmes to monitor antibiotic resistance in enterobacteria. I t recommends continuing educa- tion for medical pract i t ioners , veterinarians, and epidemiologists in the use of antibiotics in therapy and in feeds, as well as appropriate training for laboratory workers. It is recommended also that laboratories should use accurate and reproducible susceptibility tests on enteric bacteria so that the

536

data collected are comparable, The group considers that clinical, microbiological, and epidemiological data collected at the local, national, and regional levels should be analysed and made available to clinicians and health authorities for the for- mulation of national policies on the import, manufacture, and use of antibiotics.

The report lists areas requiring further research, including the development of simpler and more rapid susceptibility tests, methods for the analysis and interpretation of the results of such tests, studies of the clinical and epidemiological relevance of resistant bacteria in the environment, and the development of effective methods for the control of resistant microorganisms of human and animal origin.

H. McL. Gordon

*Surveillance for the prekention and control of health hazards due to antibiouc. resistant enterobacteria. Report of a W H O meeting. World Healrh Organizarion Technical Repori Series, 1978, No. 624. W H O Publications, Australian Government Publishing Service, P .O. Box 84, Canberra, A.C.T. 2600.

Australian Veterinary Journal , Vol. 5 5 , November, 1979