Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Naval Personnel

Abstract

When the School of Tropical Medicine was established at the Naval Hospital, Treasure Island, in July, 1944, it became necessary to have a source of parasitic material for instructional purposes. Accordingly, the school undertook the examinations for intestinal and blood parasites previously done by the hospital's clinical laboratory. This not only provided material for class use, but also gave the authors a chance to secure data on the incidence of parasitic infections in a rather representative group of naval personnel, drawn from the various activities of the Twelfth Naval District. The total number of military personnel examined from the inception of the program to October 1, 1945, was 1153. On these persons a total of 2747 examinations, or an average of 2.4 per individual, was made. In addition 103 civilian navy employees and their families, interned in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation, were examined by us upon their return to the United States, an average of 2.8 examinations apiece being performed upon this group.