A multidrug-resistant complex infection appears to be targeting American troops and has been for years. Researchers now say it looks as if the military trauma system is the likely culprit in the outbreak.
Published earlier this year in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, study data showed that Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex infection was present at all field hospitals tested in Kuwait and Iraq, and injured soldiers have carried the bacteria back to U.S. military hospitals such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Although tighter infection controls such as monitored hand-washing have helped lower infection rates, authors of the study concluded that novel strategies may be required to prevent the transmission of pathogens in combat field hospitals.
The National Academies offer several reports on military medicine and emerging infectious diseases. Protecting Those Who Serve: Strategies to Protect the Health of U.S. Deployed Forces says the federal government should take immediate action to protect troops from environmental and other health hazards, and outlines strategies that DOD should implement immediately to ensure that troop health is protected. Also, Capturing the Full Power of Biomaterials in Military Medicine: Report of a Workshop explored potential applications of biomaterials including wound care, tissue engineering, and drug delivery for the improved health of the armed forces. In addition, Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response examines the spectrum of microbial threats, factors in disease emergence, and the ultimate capacity of the United States to meet the challenges posed by these threats to human health.
* Protecting Those Who Serve: Strategies to Protect the Health of U.S. Deployed Forces (2000)
* Capturing the Full Power of Biomaterials in Military Medicine: Report of a Workshop (2004)
* Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response (2003)
http://www.nationalacademies.org
