1 Opening a can of worms: gastrointestinal parasite infections in at-risk UK armed forces populations
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Le résumé fourni par la source
Background Gastrointestinal parasite (GIP) infections are of major military importance. They have been frequently diagnosed post-deployment and can have debilitating sequelae.1–4 Some, such as Strongyloides, are often asymptomatic before presenting as severe disease, which has been fatal in veterans.5 6Whilst the UK Armed Forces recruit many personnel from endemic countries, few are offered testing. Furthermore, despite extensive Defence activity in endemic areas, data on post deployment prevalence is scarce. Methods A total of 437 participants were recruited from three groups: 250 personnel from Fiji, 119 recently returned from jungle training in Brunei (tested at 2- and 12-weeks post-return), and 68 with historical deployments to Brunei. Participants were tested for GIP using serum for Strongyloides serology, full blood counts, and faeces for microscopy, culture, and qPCR. Results High GIP infection rates, particularly Strongyloides, were observed across all groups. Amongst Fijian migrants, 35.1% (87/248) had positive Strongyloides serology and 18.9% (14/74) had GIP in faeces. In personnel recently returned from Brunei, 56.0% (65/116) had a positive faecal test for GIP, with 47.4% (55/116) positive for Strongyloides. Serological testing in this group was insensitive (16%), and sequencing revealed infection with Strongyloides fuelleborni and callosciureus. In Group 3, 17.6% (12/68) had a positive Strongyloides result, with the longest infection lasting over 5 years. Conclusions The novel findings of this project have uncovered a high GIP burden in Armed Forces personnel. The prevalence of Strongyloides found in this first ever study of Fijian migrants has significant public health implications and has prompted steps to offer testing to all Fijian personnel. This study is also the first globally on imported S. fuelleborni infection, revealing previously unknown limitations of serology, and is the first to identify human infection with S. callosciureus. The stark findings demonstrate the uniquely military risk these parasites present and have immediately impacted clinical practice and policy. References Bailey M, Thomas R, Green A, Bailey J, Beeching N. Helminth infections in British troops following an operation in Sierra Leone. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2006;100(9):842–6. Genta RM, Weesner R, Douce RW, Huitger-O’Connor T, Walzer PD. Strongyloidiasis in US veterans of the Vietnam and other wars. JAMA 1987;258(1):49–52. Gill GV, Bell DR. Strongyloides stercoralis infection in former Far East prisoners of war. Br Med J. 1979;2(6190):572–4. Lee VJ, Ong A, Lee NG, Lee WT, Fong KL, Lim PL. Hookworm infections in Singaporean soldiers after jungle training in Brunei Darussalam. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2007;101(12):1214–8. Gill G, Beeching N, Khoo S, Bailey J, Partridge S, Blundell J, et al. A British second world war veteran with disseminated strongyloidiasis. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2004;98(6):382–6. Hakim SZ, Genta RM. Fatal disseminated strongyloidiasis in a Vietnam War veteran. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1986;110(9):809–12.
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DOI retrouvé dans Crossref DOI retrouvé ; titre concordant.
- Titre Crossref
- 1 Opening a can of worms: gastrointestinal parasite infections in at-risk UK armed forces populations
- Date Crossref
- 21/05/2025
- Éditeur
- BMJ
- Type
- journal-article
Ce recoupement confirme des métadonnées liées au DOI. Il ne confirme ni la méthode ni les conclusions de l’étude, et il ne compte pas comme une seconde source scientifique indépendante.
Où se fait cette recherche
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Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Department of Clinical Sciences pays non établi dans la noticeOrganisme public
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Royal Navy pays non établi dans la noticeOrganisme public
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Royal Centre for Defence Medicine pays non établi dans la noticeÉtablissement de santé
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Imperial College London Department of Infectious Diseases pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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King's College London pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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King's College School pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Medical Defence Union pays non établi dans la noticeOrganisme public
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University of Ulster pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Royal Centre for Defence Medicine pays non établi dans la noticeÉtablissement de santé
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Royal Victoria Hospital pays non établi dans la noticeÉtablissement de santé
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University of Birmingham pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Academic Department of Military Medicine pays non établi dans la noticeInstitution
Department of Clinical Sciences — Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Royal Navy et Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, avec 9 autres affiliations.
Une affiliation ne permet pas de déduire la nationalité d’un auteur.