Suspected meningococcal meningitis on an aircraft carrier.

A suspected case of meningococcal meningitis was diagnosed in a 24-year-old sailor onboard an aircraft carrier at sea in 2003. He was immediately confined to the ship's hospital ward under respiratory isolation precautions and was treated with intravenously administered antibiotics. His illness resolved without sequelae. A total of 99 close contacts from the ship were identified and given antibiotic prophylaxis, with directly observed therapy. British public health authorities were contacted to trace and treat persons identified as close contacts during a port call a few days before presentation. Managing a communicable disease such as meningococcal meningitis in the austere shipboard environment represents a unique challenge to military medical personnel. Successful management is possible through prompt treatment, respiratory isolation, and open communication between primary health care providers and public health officials. The identification of shipboard close contacts and other infection control procedures used by the ship's medical department are reviewed.

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among military recruits.

We report an outbreak of 235 community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections among military recruits. In this unique environment, the close contact between recruits and the physical demands of training may have contributed to the spread of MRSA. Control measures included improved hygiene and aggressive clinical treatment.

Tuberculosis outbreak investigation of a U.S. Navy amphibious ship crew and the Marine expeditionary unit aboard, 1998.

A Marine deployed aboard a U.S. Navy amphibious ship had smear-positive, cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Contact investigation ultimately found 21 active cases of TB among sailors and Marines who were aboard the affected ship. Approximately 3 months lapsed between onset of the source patient's illness and appropriate diagnosis and treatment. During the contact investigation, 3,338 persons received tuberculin skin tests and 712 were identified as new latent tuberculosis infection cases. Four persons diagnosed with latent tuberculosis infection developed active TB because of poor compliance with treatment. After personnel disembarked from the ship, persistent efforts to identify persons with active disease and latent infections were successful in controlling further spread of tuberculosis in military units and local communities. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria isolated from the source patient and 16 of the other active cases were susceptible to all drugs commonly used to treat TB.

Sentinel cases of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus onboard a naval ship.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is emerging as a community-acquired organism. A number of recent reports have documented its involvement in a variety of infections in which no risk factors for nosocomial transmission are present. This report presents the initial cases of a MRSA outbreak on a U.S. Navy ship. Each patient failed traditional antibiotic therapy and one required hospitalization. Their presentations evolved simultaneously and proved to be sentinel cases of an outbreak of cutaneous MRSA infections. The events of this outbreak emphasize the growing need to consider the prevalence of resistant organisms in outpatient settings, as well as the impact that infections from resistant organisms might have on the combat readiness of a military unit. Recommendations addressing infection-control guidelines for MRSA within close-quarter environments of healthy adults, such as military units, need to be developed and existing infection-control measures need to be regularly emphasized.