Photo By Desmond Martin | Lt. Cmdr. Alister Bryson teaches tick biology to service members in a classroom at the...... read more read more
Navy Entomology Center of Excellence (NECE) hosted a tick biology, identification, and surveillance training course, on Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida, February 16, 2023.
14 Army veterinarians, animal care specialists, and veterinary food inspection specialists from across the region attended the training as well as participants from Naval Submarine Base (NSB) Kings Bay, Moody Air Force Base (AFB), Naval Station (NS) Mayport, and locally from NAS Jacksonville.
The course was conducted through the ongoing collaboration and relationships between NECE and the Army veterinarians. The training was the second iteration of a two-part series of courses developed specifically for their staff. The first part of the training was an in-depth course regarding stored product pests, something their food inspectors are often faced with as part of their duties.
The half-day course on ticks was divided into three sections, including lectures, field activities, and laboratory portions highlighting the information required to comprehensively understand tick biology, surveillance, and identification. NECE offers a variety of courses for military and civilian personnel ranging from shipboard pests and vegetation management to operational entomology training. However, this is the first course offered that is specific to ticks and tick-borne disease prevention.
“Here at NECE, we enjoy providing tailored training to meet the needs of all Department of Defense (DOD) personnel,” said Ms. Jennifer Remmers, head of the Readiness and Training Department at NECE. “it’s always great to have other services attend our courses and I’m glad we were able to provide them with some useful information.”
During the field portion of the course at the NAS Jacksonville nature trail, participants were shown how to drag for ticks, a common surveillance technique used to collect ticks that are looking for a suitable host. The species of ticks found at the nature trail were the lone star tick and the black-legged deer tick These species are known vectors of Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome (red meat allergy), respectively. The specimens that were collected were also tested by NECE’s Research and Development laboratory.
“It is very helpful for us to know what ticks are present in our local area,” said Sgt. Chris Rodriguez, Animal Care Specialist with NAS Jacksonville, Veterinary Treatment Facility. “This course gives us the confidence that we need to help our clients at our installations.”
“I enjoyed the structure of the course from the classroom, field, and to the application in the laboratory,” said Capt. Chelsea McDonald, Officer in Charge of NAS Jacksonville, Veterinary Treatment Facility. “We now have specimens to show our clients for prevention purposes.”
NECE is the Navy and Marine Corps’ Center of Excellence for operational entomology located at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL. NECE’s unique DoD mission is to develop and evaluate novel products, pesticides, and technologies to better protect deployed forces from vectors of disease. NECE also provides operational medical entomology and pest management training to DOD military and civilian personnel and is the program manager for all Navy shipboard pest management. NECE plays a key role in supporting national strategic interests though engagement and exchange with foreign health and military partners.
https://www.med.navy.mil/Navy-Marine-Corps-Public-Health-Center/Field-Activities/Navy-Entomology-Center-of-Excellence/
| Date Taken: | 02.16.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2023 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 442971 |
| Location: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NECE Teams Up with Army Veterinarians to “Bite Back” Against Tick-Borne Disease, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
