Habitat analysis of North American sand flies near veterans returning from leishmania-endemic war zones

Abstract

Background: Nearly 1300 cases of leishmaniasis have been identified in American military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. The symptoms of this disease can range from a mild, self-limiting cutaneous infection to a deadly visceral infection and are not prevented by chemoprophylaxis or immunization. Effective treatments, however, are available. The diseasecausing parasite is spread through the bite of the female sand fly. Although the disease occurs in both the Old World and the New World, the parasite species differ between the hemispheres. The large number of cases in military veterans has caused some concern that Old World, temperateadapted parasite species could be introduced into the native sand fly populations of American military facilities where veterans of the current conflicts return following their deployments. This paper reports part of a larger study to analyze the risk of such an accidental importation. Four potential habitats on two large Army facilities in the Southeast United States were surveyed to determine relative sand fly density. The National Land Cover Map was used to provide sand fly density prediction maps by habitat.

Identification of Visceral Leishmaniasis‐Susceptible Areas using Spatial Modelling in Southern Caucasus

“…Then, the land cover map was transformed into a map of VL susceptibility according to the C values of each cell unit (Table 2). According to these results, an association existed between irrigated farming and orchard land cover areas and known VL-endemic areas, which supports the epidemiological models that have identified an association between VL sandfly habitat suitability and land cover (Claborn et al, 2008). This observation means that the training data highlighted the impact of this category of land cover on VL throughout the study area, and we subsequently assigned a higher weight within the final integration process to farmlands and orchards.…”

Sandfly and Leishmaniasis: A Review

“…Lutzomyia shannoni in the United States was found in hardwood forest and meadow. In the Old World sand flies are found associated with contaminated soils of animal shelters, rodent burrows and termite mounds, also in the earthen floors of human habitations [10].…”

The Impact of National Militaries on Global Health

“…Rates of infection in military personnel can be high. During operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is estimated that at least 1300 US military personnel have contracted leishmaniasis [36], an incidence higher than that seen in US military personnel in World War II [34]. British, Dutch and German forces have also experienced leishmania infections while deployed to Afghanistan [15].…”