Baseline Biological Study of Brooks Air Force Base and Bexar County, Texas.
Abstract
Bexar County is relatively unique in that it contains three of the 10 major soil types which occur in Texas. This geologic diversity in turn produces diversity in local plant and animal life. Brooks AFB lies in the middle of the three soil zones, on the outskirts of San Antonio. The base location, local weather, social influences, and other factors create multiple interface conditions which add to the variety of plants and animals occurring in the area. A large number of poisonous plants grow in the local vicinity, and many of these are common ornamental species. The primary vertebrate animals of medical/pest significance in the Brooks AFB area are the guano bat and the western diamond-backed rattle snake. Many other vertebrate species abound in the county, but few pose problems. A multitude of invertebrate animals exist on and near Brooks AFB. Fire ants and other Hymenoptera(bees, wasps, and ants) are a major pest problem and contribute greatly to the local populations of venomous arthropods. Mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas are periodically abundant vector/pest invertebrates, which transmit the threee primary vector-borne diseases in Texas - arboviral encephalitides, Rocky Mountain spotted fever(RMSF), and endemic typhus, respectively. The encephalitides(primarily St. Louis encephalitis) currrently have foci in other parts of the state, but the potential for an outbreak exists in south San Antonio. Although RMSF is concentrated in the northeast part of Texas, the first case contracted in San Antonio was confirmed in January 1977.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA062726
Entities
People
- Robert W. Clegern
Organizations
- United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine