Krairojananan Panadda, Wasuworawong Kasima, Leepitakrat Surachai, Monkanna Taweesak, Wanja Elizabeth W, Davidson Silas A, Poole-Smith Betty K, McCardle Patrick W, Mann Alyssa, Lindroth Erica J
Department of Entomology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
Entomology Branch, Center for Infectious Disease Research, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA.
Microorganisms. 2024 Dec 27;13(1):29. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13010029.
Leptospirosis, a global zoonotic disease caused by spp., presents high morbidity and mortality risks, especially in tropical regions like Thailand. Military personnel deployed in endemic areas, such as during the Cobra Gold Joint exercise, face heightened exposure. This study assessed 's prevalence in rodents and environmental reservoirs at military training sites from 2017 to 2022. A surveillance program was conducted at Engineering Civil Assistance Program (ENCAP) training sites using real-time PCR, dark-field microscopy, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to detect in rodents and environmental samples. Results showed a 1.3% infection rate in rodents (15 of 1161), while was detected in 10.2% of water samples (42 of 413) and 23.1% of soil samples (30 of 130). Diverse strains circulated among rodents, and three groups of naturally circulating strains were detected in environmental reservoirs. These findings underscore 's survival and transmission potential within exercise sites, informing Force Health Protection (FHP) decisions. By integrating pre-exercise data on primary hosts and environmental reservoirs with historical local outbreak records and research on risk factors, this study identifies key areas for public health intervention and potential mitigation strategies.
钩端螺旋体病是一种由钩端螺旋体属引起的全球人畜共患病,发病率和死亡率风险很高,尤其是在泰国等热带地区。部署在流行地区的军事人员,如在金色眼镜蛇联合演习期间,面临更高的暴露风险。本研究评估了2017年至2022年军事训练场地啮齿动物和环境储源中钩端螺旋体的流行情况。在工程民事援助计划(ENCAP)训练场地开展了一项监测计划,使用实时聚合酶链反应、暗视野显微镜检查和16S核糖体RNA基因测序来检测啮齿动物和环境样本中的钩端螺旋体。结果显示,啮齿动物的感染率为1.3%(1161只中有15只),而在10.2%的水样(413份中有42份)和23.1%的土壤样本(130份中有30份)中检测到钩端螺旋体。多种钩端螺旋体菌株在啮齿动物中传播,在环境储源中检测到三组自然传播的钩端螺旋体菌株。这些发现强调了钩端螺旋体在演习场地内的生存和传播潜力,为部队健康保护(FHP)决策提供了依据。通过将关于主要宿主和环境储源的演习前数据与当地历史疫情记录以及风险因素研究相结合,本研究确定了公共卫生干预的关键领域和潜在的缓解策略。