TY - JOUR
T1 - Seroconversion for infectious pathogens among UK military personnel deployed to Afghanistan, 2008–2011
AU - Newman, Edmund N.C.
AU - Johnstone, Penelope
AU - Bridge, Hannah
AU - Wright, Deborah
AU - Jameson, Lisa
AU - Bosworth, Andrew
AU - Hatch, Rebecca
AU - Hayward-Karlsson, Jenny
AU - Osborne, Jane
AU - Bailey, Mark S.
AU - Green, Andrew
AU - Ross, David
AU - Brooks, Timothy
AU - Hewson, Roger
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved.
PY - 2014/12/1
Y1 - 2014/12/1
N2 - Military personnel are at high risk of contracting vector- borne and zoonotic infections, particularly during overseas deployments, when they may be exposed to endemic or emerging infections not prevalent in their native countries. We conducted seroprevalence testing of 467 UK military personnel deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, during 2008–2011 and found that up to 3.1% showed seroconversion for infection with Rickettsia spp., Coxiella burnetii, sandfly fever virus, or hantavirus; none showed seroconversion for infection with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. Most seroconversions occurred in personnel who did not report illness, except for those with hantavirus (70% symptomatic). These results indicate that many exposures to infectious pathogens, and potentially infections resulting from those exposures, may go unreported. Our findings reinforce the need for continued surveillance of military personnel and for education of health care providers to help recognize and prevent illnesses and transmission of pathogens during and after overseas deployments.
AB - Military personnel are at high risk of contracting vector- borne and zoonotic infections, particularly during overseas deployments, when they may be exposed to endemic or emerging infections not prevalent in their native countries. We conducted seroprevalence testing of 467 UK military personnel deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, during 2008–2011 and found that up to 3.1% showed seroconversion for infection with Rickettsia spp., Coxiella burnetii, sandfly fever virus, or hantavirus; none showed seroconversion for infection with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. Most seroconversions occurred in personnel who did not report illness, except for those with hantavirus (70% symptomatic). These results indicate that many exposures to infectious pathogens, and potentially infections resulting from those exposures, may go unreported. Our findings reinforce the need for continued surveillance of military personnel and for education of health care providers to help recognize and prevent illnesses and transmission of pathogens during and after overseas deployments.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84922899652&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3201/eid2012.131830
DO - 10.3201/eid2012.131830
M3 - Article
C2 - 25418685
AN - SCOPUS:84922899652
SN - 1080-6040
VL - 20
SP - 2015
EP - 2022
JO - Emerging Infectious Diseases
JF - Emerging Infectious Diseases
IS - 12
ER -
