The role of the United States military in the development of vector control products, including insect repellents, insecticides, and bed nets

Abstract

Arthropod-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, scrub typhus, and leishmaniasis continue to pose a significant threat to U.S. military forces deployed in support of operational and humanitarian missions. These diseases are transmitted by a variety of arthropods, including mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, sand flies, and biting midges. In addition to disease threats, biting arthropods can cause dermatitis, allergic reactions, and sleep loss; therefore, monitoring of vector impact and integrated use of personal protective measures (PPM) and methods to reduce the vector populations are needed to protect service members. The U.S. military has played a vital role in vector identification tools and the development and testing of many of the most effective PPM and vector control products available today, including the topical repellent DEET and the repellent/insecticide permethrin, which is applied to clothing and bed nets. Efforts to develop superior products are ongoing. Although the U.S. military often needs vector control products with rather specific properties (e.g., undetectable, long-lasting in multiple climates) in order to protect its service members, many Department of Defense vector control products have had global impacts on endemic disease control. Journal of Vector Ecology 34 (1): 50-61. 2009.

Evaluation of permethrin-impregnated military uniforms for contact toxicity against mosquitoes and persistence in repeated washings

“…The washing water may be used as a mosquito larvicide by directing it to sewage where larval breeding is detected (Khoobdel et al 2005). However, the use of permethrinimpregnated uniforms by a large number of armed forces personnel stationed in an area may create a herd effect which leads to reduction in mosquito population in that area (Kitchen et al 2009). This in turn would reduce the need for chemical larviciding, fogging or spraying of insecticides in the camp area.…”

“…Attempts should be made to develop permethrin formulations, which provide high resistance to washing so as to minimise the losses through wash water. Factoryimpregnated uniforms, such as the ones used by the United States Marine Corps, have a long-lasting impregnation of permethrin where the losses due to washing are minimised (Kitchen et al 2009). Such readyto-wear uniforms are recommended due to their longlasting efficacy, standardised method of application and minimal exposure threat to humans.…”

Sandfly and Leishmaniasis: A Review

“…If the host is unsuitable, than parasites passed out with the feces [21] Leshmania species and other trypanosomatids attached to the parasites on the midgut epithelium [16] during digestion of the blood meal, theparasite is retained in the gut and starts a stage differentiation [22]. In next phase promastigotes move to the cuticle lined foregut of the sandfly.…”

Statement on Personal Protective Measures to Prevent Arthropod Bites

“…these interventions have a long history of use in traditional societies (6;7), with modern approaches to research, development and discovery evolving over the last century, often as a result of military-sponsored innovation (8).…”