The Past and Present Threat of Rickettsial Diseases to Military Medicine and International Public Health
SUPPLEMENT ARTICLE The Past and Present Threat of Rickettsial Diseases to Military Medicine and International Public Health Daryl J. Kelly,1 Allen L. Richards,2,4 Joseph Temenak,2 Daniel Strickman,3 and Gregory A. Dasch2,5 Downloaded from 1Department of Molecular Genetics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; 2Rickettsial Diseases Department, Naval Medical Research Center, and 3Division of Communicable Diseases and Immunology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, and 4Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland; 5Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/ Morbidity and mortality caused by rickettsioses have had a major influence on military activities and public health for 12000 years. The threat posed by the rickettsioses is reviewed, focusing on the impact and epide- miology of those that have adversely influenced wartime operations and the current challenges posed by these diseases. With their uneven worldwide distribution, the discovery of drug-refractory strains of Orientia tsut- sugamushi, the increased threat of their use in acts of bioterrorism, frequent deployment of troops to regions of endemicity, and exposures due to increased humanitarian missions, these diseases continue to be a threat at New York Medical College on November 15, 2014 to military personnel in the field. Effective strategies to reduce the impact of these diseases include development of effective vaccines, enhanced surveillance, and development of new safe, effective, and odorless repellants. The continuation of a proven, highly productive military infectious disease research program is essential for providing solutions to these daunting tasks.
[Show full text]