Military Entomologist

Case Study: Save Our Troops!

A colonel in the United States Army is stationed in Afghanistan for two years. He and his company are unaccustomed to the dry heat of the desert and have had to sleep in tents for three weeks. One day, a subordinate officer rushes into the colonel's tent and reports that a strange illness is affecting some of the soldiers. The colonel summons the Army Medic and goes to examine the patients.

When he arrives at the infirmary where sick soldiers are treated, he recoils in horror. Some of them have large, oozing skin sores and mouth ulcers. Others report difficulty in breathing and swallowing. In the most extreme cases, soldiers are also running an extremely high fever and their skin has taken on a dark hue.

The medic is baffled by these symptoms and cannot determine their cause. He remembers many of the soldiers complainting about small biting flies, but until now, he has had no reason to associate them with this disease. In order to be sure, he catches a few of the flies and places them in a specimen bottle. This practice is one that was taught to him a few years previously by a military entomologist who helped him solve a case of malaria. Their collaboration saved several lives by demonstrating the link between an outbreak of mosquitoes and the incidence of malaria.

The colonel calls for the squadron’s military entomologist who arrives on the scene and immediately identifies the small flies in the bottle as sand flies (Psychodidae: Phlebotomus papatasii). He also recognizes the symptoms of a disease (Leishmaniasis) in the patients he sees. He explains to the colonel that this disease is caused by a protozoan parasite that is transmitted through the bite of the female sand fly, that is common in this part of the world. The good news is that if diagnosed early enough, the disease is treatable.

The soldiers with sores and ulcers are given specific medicines and most respond quickly; however, the few soldiers with high fevers are diagnosed with ‘visceral Leishmaniasis’ a much more serious and potentially fatal form of the disease. In these cases, the protozoans migrate to the liver and spleen where they are much more difficult to treat. These soldiers are transferred immediately to the military hospital where they are treated much more aggressively.

As part of a preventative program, the military entomologist conducts a training seminar on the dangers of sand flies. He instructs the entire squadron to avoid areas of high infestation, and to wear protective clothing and insect repellent for the remainder of their time in the Middle East. He also recommends that all sleeping units be enclosed by fine mesh netting to prevent insect entry.

Thanks to the military entomologist, the disease is detected early enough so that no casualties result. His training of the soldiers on preventation practices averts further transmission of disease. The medical entomologist becomes a military hero to the soldiers in the unit and he receives a special commendation by the colonel for “going above and beyond the call of duty.”

The outcomes of major wars and battles has sometimes been determined or influenced more by diseases than by soldiers. As recently as World War II, for example, more than 83,000 American soldiers suffered from serious diseases that were not caused by battle injuries. Diseases are often transmitted by insect bites.

All branches of the military - Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines - employ and train entomologists to protect troops from attack by insect pests, especially ones transmitting infectious diseases. Military facilities, vehicles, foods, and uniforms also need protection from insect pests.

To become a military entomologist, a person must have an interest in the military, medical entomology, and pest management. Formal entomology training, by earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree in college, may be required but often the degree can be completed while in the service - at a significant cost savings to the student.