OPERATION DESERT SHIELD AND LEISHMANASIS 19 DEC 90

File: 102496_sep96_decls7_0002.txt
Page: 0002
Total Pages: 4

Subject: OPERATION DESERT SHIELD AND LEISHMANASIS 19 DEC 90              

Unit: OTSG        

Parent Organization: HSC         

Box ID: BX003202

Folder Title: DESERT SHIELD MEDICAL ISSUES REVIEW AND AD HOC WORKING GROUP                                    

Document Number:          2

Folder SEQ  #:         31





          SORD-UWZ-P                                                             14 Sep 90

          MEMORANDUM FOR: INTERESTED PARTIES

          suairzCT: CPERAT(C)NE)ESsFrrSHIELDANE)LEISHMANLASIS:MEMORANDUMOFFOURTH
                        USAMRDC I F!ISHMANIASIS STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

          I - TheCommfttee met an 14 Sept 90. Committee members were.

               COL B. Schuster.
               COL J. Berman, chair.
               L'M C. Moore.
               CRT (P) M Grogi.
               Dr@ M. Helffer.

          2. The Threat,

             The Depanment of Advanced Preventive Medicine, WRAIR, has listed Laishmaniasis as *7
          out of 20 on their 23 Aug 90 prioritized list of major disease threats for Operation Desert
          Shield. There are three forms of lefshmaniasis endemic in the region.

               L. major. L. major cutaneous disease Is the most prevalent. The Iranians were sufficiently
          concerned about the potential problem of cutaneous laishmaniasis (mostly L. major) that they
          Inoculated all their troops (-300,000 per year) with a strafn that gave mild disease In the
          index case, to protoo the troops against possible more severe future Infection. The prevalence
          of cutaneous telshmaniasis was tabulated by the Loishmania Department at the Saudi Arabian
          Ministry of Health for the years 1978-1985. There were 13000-18000 cases per year for
          i983-1985, These cases were Identified clinically rather than parasitolog@ly, but most are
          thought to be L. major. There were approximately 3000 cases per year in the central provinces
          Including the city of Riyadh, and 1 600 cases in the Eastern province. f Peters and Al-Zahrani,
          1987. The Laishmaniases--a Public Health Problem In Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal
          8:333-343.]
                    i
               L. tropics: L. tropics cutaneous disease is prevalent in south-west Saudi Arabia, where the
 incidence of L. major elsewhere [A]-Zahrani at a], TRSTMH
          83!621-628, 19891, and near the Iraq-Kuwait-Saudi border.
               L. doInovani: visceral leishmanlasis is endemic In the Mid-East, particularly In the central
          region of Iraq.

          3@ Diagnosis of LGtshmaniasis In the Persian Gulf region:

               Clinical d)agnosis: Cutaneous taighman)asjs presents as a non-heating skin ulcer,
          frequently with bacterial supednfection and sometimes with metestagis to the proximal lymph
          nodes, Other skin diseases such as Infected Insect I)ites are frequently misdiagnosed as
          leishmaniasis. Visceral toishmaniasis presents with favor, hepatospienomegaly, and the
          sequella at pancytopenia. Other reticuloendothellal diseases including leukemia are easily
          confused with visceral laishmanlasis.
               Parasitological diagnosis: Infected lesions are aspirated or blopsiod. To visualize the
          organisms, lesion specimens are stained with Glemsa and, for greater sensitivity, with a
          genus-specific monoclonal developed at WRAIR. Lesion specimens are also cultured for 3 weeks
          on @Schnoider's madlum, MMI madlum, and NNN medium so that faishmenia may grow out.
          Successful culture on these unusual media requires training by experts.

Document 4 f:/Week-36/BX003202/DESERT SHIELD MEDICAL ISSUES REVIEW AND AD HOC WORKING GROUP/operation desert shield and leishmanasis 19 dec :1011961539118
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-36
Box ID = BX003202
Unit = OTSG
Parent Organization = HSC
Folder Title = DESERT SHIELD MEDICAL ISSUES REVIEW AND AD HOC WORKING GROUP
Folder Seq # = 31
Subject = OPERATION DESERT SHIELD AND LEISHMANASIS 19 DEC
Document Seq # = 2
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 11-OCT-1996