Adenovirus 4/7 Vaccine's Effect on Disease Rates Is Associated With Disappearance of Adenovirus on Building Surfaces at a Military Recruit Base.

BACKGROUND: Febrile respiratory illness resulting from adenovirus types 4 and 7 (Ad4/7) was endemic at military training camps, but controlled by an Ad4/7 vaccine from the 1970s to 1999, the year it was discontinued. Thereafter, rates returned to prevaccine levels. Rates dropped after reintroduction of an Ad4/7 vaccine in 2011. METHODS: Surfaces of the barracks and medical clinic of a training camp were swabbed in 3 studies in 2004 and 1 study in 2007, and tested with culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Similar swabbing was done in 2013 and 2015 and tested with PCR. FINDINGS: In the studies before 2011 (prevaccine), 12% of samples were Ad4/7 positive by culture and 27% positive by PCR. In the 2 studies after 2011 (postvaccine), no samples were Ad4/7 positive. DISCUSSION/IMPACT/RECOMMENDATIONS: The Ad 4/7 vaccine has resulted in the near elimination of Ad4/7-related disease and the disappearance of Ad4/7 from surfaces in a military basic training camp. Renewed transmission of Ad4/7 in this setting would likely require new importation from military recruits and an immunologically naive cohort, which the current vaccination program prevents.

Vector surveillance to determine species composition and occurrence of trypanosoma cruzi at three military installations in San Antonio, Texas.

Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is caused by the hemoflagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi which is transmitted by blood-sucking triatomine bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae; Triatominae). The disease is endemic to south Texas, but exists almost exclusively as a zoonosis. Chagas disease has proven to be a serious public health threat to military working dogs. In 2007, seroprevalence of Chagas disease in military working dogs in San Antonio, Texas, reached 8%. A faunal survey was conducted at 3 San Antonio area military installations (Camp Bullis, Fort Sam Houston, and Lackland Air Force Base). A total of 140 triatomines representing 4 species (Triatoma gerstaeckeri, T. sanguisuga, T. lectularia, and T. indictiva) were collected. Trypanosoma cruzi infected bugs were only collected at Lackland Air Force Base, where the overall infection rate was 16%. The wood excavation technique developed during this study collected all life stages. Only 2 life stages (adult and 5th instar) were positive for T. cruzi.