title: Impact of phlebotomine sand flies on U.S. Military operations at Tallil Air Base, Iraq: 1. background, military situation, and development of a "Leishmaniasis Control Program".
abstract: One of the most significant modern day efforts to prevent and control an arthropod-borne disease during a military deployment occurred when a team of U.S. military entomologists led efforts to characterize, prevent, and control leishmaniasis at Tallil Air Base (TAB), Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Soon after arriving at TAB on 22 March 2003, military entomologists determined that 1) high numbers of sand flies were present at TAB, 2) individual soldiers were receiving many sand fly bites in a single night, and 3) Leishmania parasites were present in 1.5% of the female sand flies as determined using a real-time (fluorogenic) Leishmania-generic polymerase chain reaction assay. The rapid determination that leishmaniasis was a specific threat in this area allowed for the establishment of a comprehensive Leishmaniasis Control Program (LCP) over 5 mo before the first case of leishmaniasis was confirmed in a U.S. soldier deployed to Iraq. The LCP had four components: 1) risk assessment, 2) enhancement of use of personal protective measures by all personnel at TAB, 3) vector and reservoir control, and 4) education of military personnel about sand flies and leishmaniasis. The establishment of the LCP at TAB before the onset of any human disease conclusively demonstrated that entomologists can play a critical role during military deployments.
authors.affiliation: 520th Theater Army Medical Laboratory, United States Army, Tallil Air Base, Iraq. russell.coleman@us.army.mil
authors.forename: Russell E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Burkett
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Putnam
authors.forename: Van
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sherwood
authors.forename: Jennifer B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Caci
authors.forename: Barton T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Jennings
authors.forename: Lisa P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Hochberg
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Spradling
authors.forename: Edgar D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Rowton
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blount
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ploch
authors.forename: Grady
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: Jo-Lynne W
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Raymond
authors.forename: Monica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: O'Guinn
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Weina
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009033:Culicidae; D004285:Dogs; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007300:Insect Control / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D007493:Iraq; D046030:Jackals; D007891:Leishmania / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000193:education; D010571:Pest Control / Q000379:methods; D010575:Pesticides; D010691:Phlebotomus / Q000469:parasitology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012377:Rodentia; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides