ears, and mask were swabbed with sterile cotton-tipped swabs. 

 Samples were transferred to culture media, and assessments of 

 bacterial contamination of divers was based on two criteria: 

 approximate quantification of viable organisms at each body site 

 sampled, and identification of potential pathogens that were 

 present only after the dive. All three of the divers in SCUBA 

 masks were contaminated after the dive, with Aeromonas sobria and 

 Aeromonas hydrophila being the predominant post-dive isolates. 

 In contrast, of the 13 divers wearing AGA, Superlight-17 or 

 Kirby-Morgan type masks which offer more protection, only one 

 showed post contamination of the ear. 



Similar sampling procedures were used at the NOAA Pacific 

 Marine Center, Seattle, WA. Results were similar to the Norfolk 

 study, i.e., when wet suits with hoods were worn, heavy post-dive 

 ear contamination occurred. Consequently, one diver developed 

 severe ear infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The 

 authors postulated that increased humidity and heat inside the 

 suit promoted rapid growth of the divers' normal flora. 



The studies of Coolbaugh et al. (1981) and Brook et al. 

 (1982) highlight several important aspects of diving in polluted 

 waters. First, standard wet suits offer little protection 

 against hazards encountered in polluted waters. Second, while 

 more protective gear such as the Unisuit or variable volume dry 

 suit do lower the possibility of contamination, divers may still 

 be colonized with pathogens from the water and come into contact 

 with toxic chemicals dumped into waterways. Thirdly, a paradox 

 is created by the need to protect divers with sufficiently 

 impermeable suits and hoods while the data presented indicates 

 that the heat and humidity build up inside of protective diving 

 gear promotes rapid growth of normal skin flora which may also be 

 unhealthy for a diver. 



POTENTIAL PATHOGENS 



Marine waters containing enterococci levels of greater than 

 three cells per 100 ml have been cited as unfit for swimming 

 (Cabelli, 1979). But the enterococci are merely indicator 

 organisms and, therefore, do not allow determination of the 

 specific nature of the pollution in these "unfit" waters. 

 Numerous studies have been carried out, however, to quantify 

 precisely and identify pathogens in waters which are used for 

 diving operations (Allen et al . , 1979; Attwell et al., 1981; 

 Cavari et al., 1981b; Gottlieb, 1981; Seidler at al., 1979; Daily 

 et al., 1981a; Seidler et al., 1980a). Daily et al. (1981a) 

 studied pathogens isolated from the Anacostia River, which was 

 then the site of the U.S. Naval School of Diving and Salvage and 

 from the New York Bight, site of NOAA diving exercises. Isolates 

 included Aeromonas , Vibrio parahaemolyticus , V. cholerae , 

 Escherichia coli , Klebsiella , Salmonella , Enterobacter and from 

 the New York Bight, group F Vibrio , a potentially highly virulent 



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