Military Considerations on Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia: A Review

Abstract

American military operations are impacted by infectious disease. A cryptic bacterial threat of growing military importance is spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia. SFG Rickettsia are a national security concern due to their ability to detract from Department of Defense (DoD) mission readiness. Many service members risk exposure to debilitating SFG rickettsiosis (SFGR) by spending prolonged periods in SFG Rickettsia infected tick habitats throughout the world. Indeed, there are few deployment locations where troops are not at risk for SFGR. Should a soldier contract an SFGR, immediate issues arise for their health and the greater DoD mission. Firstly, SFGR is difficult to differentiate and has a high case fatality rate (CFR) if not treated quickly. Secondly, mission success and the individual soldiers health outcomes are impacted. This review will synthesize the current understanding of SFG Rickettsia in the published literature and discuss it in the context of areas of military concern.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 28, 2021
Accession Number
AD1186113

Entities

People

  • Ethan C. Goslak Green

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Arachnid Bites And Stings
  • Bacteria
  • Cells
  • Epithelial Cells
  • Habitats
  • Health Services
  • Hygiene
  • Intellectual Property
  • Medical Personnel
  • Microbiology
  • Military Personnel
  • North America
  • Tickborne Diseases
  • Ticks
  • Wildlife

Readers

  • Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Science in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
  • Immunology
  • Strategic Security Studies