This study characterizes all medically diagnosed bites and stings in active component service members (ACSMs) from snakes, venomous fish, other venomous marine animals, arthropods, and insects identified through an evaluation of medical data from the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS). Incident trends were determined from 2008 through 2023, and incidence rates (IRs) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated. In total, there were 42,552 venomous bite and sting medical encounters among 39,201 ACSMs, resulting in an IR of 19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCases of flea-borne spotted fever (FBSF) have been on a steady increase in the southern United States and produce the highest numbers of reported vector-borne disease cases in Texas. Historically, cases were largely murine typhus caused by Rickettsia typhi and characterized by exposure to rodent fleas. However, more recently, spotted fever rickettsiosis caused by R.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrug Chem Toxicol
November 2024
Human red blood cell acetylcholinesterase (RBC-AChE) activity is valuable for detecting potential exposure to cholinesterase inhibiting substances (CIS). A reliable population-based RBC-AChE activity reference range is critical for early and massive clinical and occupational toxicology screening. Previous published studies were often limited to small numbers of subjects, various testing methods, and crude statistical data analyses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe DoD Cholinesterase Monitoring Program and Cholinesterase Reference Laboratory have safeguarded U.S. government employees in chemical defense for over five decades.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDisaster Med Public Health Prep
June 2022
Objective: In March 2018, the US Department of Defense (DOD) added the smallpox vaccination, using ACAM2000, to its routine immunizations, increasing the number of persons receiving the vaccine. The following month, Fort Hood reported a cluster of 5 myopericarditis cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the DOD launched an investigation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency in the U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpotted fever rickettsioses (SFR) are emerging in the Atlantic and Central regions of the U.S., though cases have been reported across the contiguous U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFinfection among humans (psittacosis) and pet birds (avian chlamydiosis), also known as parrot disease, parrot fever, and ornithosis, is a zoonotic bacterial disease. Humans most often become infected by inhaling the organism when urine, respiratory secretions, or dried feces of infected birds are dispersed in the air as very fine droplets or dust particles. infection of humans can cause influenza-like symptoms, such as fever of abrupt onset, pronounced headache, and dry cough, and can lead to severe pneumonia and non-respiratory health problems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Tularemia is a rare but potentially fatal disease that develops in numerous wild and domestic animals, including lagomorphs, rodents, cats, and humans. Francisella tularensis bacterium, the causative agent of tularemia, was identified by veterinary personnel at Fort Riley, Kansas during a routine post-mortum evaluation of a domestic feline. However, before formal diagnosis was confirmed, the sample was sent and prepared for rabies testing at the Department of Defense (DoD) U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExpedited Partner Therapy (EPT) is the practice of treating the partners of patients with sexually transmitted infections by providing medications for the patient to deliver to his or her sexual partner (s) without direct clinical assessment of the partner(s). EPT is an evidence-based option that can augment existing partner management strategies. For military health care providers, questions still loom as to the pragmatic medical, legal, and ethical uncertainties of EPT use in military populations.
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