{"title":"Tularemia - a re-emerging disease with growing concern.","authors":"Rinku Sharma, Rajendra Damu Patil, Birbal Singh, Sandip Chakraborty, Deepak Chandran, Kuldeep Dhama, Devi Gopinath, Gauri Jairath, Ajayta Rialch, Gorakh Mal, Putan Singh, Wanpen Chaicumpa, G Saikumar","doi":"10.1080/01652176.2023.2277753","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tularemia caused by Gram-negative, coccobacillus bacterium, <i>Francisella tularensis,</i> is a highly infectious zoonotic disease. Human cases have been reported mainly from the United States, Nordic countries like Sweden and Finland, and some European and Asian countries. Naturally, the disease occurs in several vertebrates, particularly lagomorphs. Type A (subspecies <i>tularensis</i>) is more virulent and causes disease mainly in North America; type B (subspecies <i>holarctica</i>) is widespread, while subspecies <i>mediasiatica</i> is present in central Asia. <i>F. tularensis</i> is a possible bioweapon due to its lethality, low infectious dosage, and aerosol transmission. Small mammals like rabbits, hares, and muskrats are primary sources of human infections, but true reservoir of <i>F. tularensis</i> is unknown. Vector-borne tularemia primarily involves ticks and mosquitoes. The bacterial subspecies involved and mode of transmission determine the clinical picture. Early signs are flu-like illnesses that may evolve into different clinical forms of tularemia that may or may not include lymphadenopathy. Ulcero-glandular and glandular forms are acquired by arthropod bite or handling of infected animals, oculo-glandular form as a result of conjunctival infection, and oro-pharyngeal form by intake of contaminated food or water. Pulmonary form appears after inhalation of bacteria. Typhoidal form may occur after infection <i>via</i> different routes. Human-to-human transmission has not been known. Diagnosis can be achieved by serology, bacterial culture, and molecular methods. Treatment for tularemia typically entails use of quinolones, tetracyclines, or aminoglycosides. Preventive measures are necessary to avoid infection although difficult to implement. Research is underway for the development of effective live attenuated and subunit vaccines.</p>","PeriodicalId":51207,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Quarterly","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10732219/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Veterinary Quarterly","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2023.2277753","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2023/11/18 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Tularemia caused by Gram-negative, coccobacillus bacterium, Francisella tularensis, is a highly infectious zoonotic disease. Human cases have been reported mainly from the United States, Nordic countries like Sweden and Finland, and some European and Asian countries. Naturally, the disease occurs in several vertebrates, particularly lagomorphs. Type A (subspecies tularensis) is more virulent and causes disease mainly in North America; type B (subspecies holarctica) is widespread, while subspecies mediasiatica is present in central Asia. F. tularensis is a possible bioweapon due to its lethality, low infectious dosage, and aerosol transmission. Small mammals like rabbits, hares, and muskrats are primary sources of human infections, but true reservoir of F. tularensis is unknown. Vector-borne tularemia primarily involves ticks and mosquitoes. The bacterial subspecies involved and mode of transmission determine the clinical picture. Early signs are flu-like illnesses that may evolve into different clinical forms of tularemia that may or may not include lymphadenopathy. Ulcero-glandular and glandular forms are acquired by arthropod bite or handling of infected animals, oculo-glandular form as a result of conjunctival infection, and oro-pharyngeal form by intake of contaminated food or water. Pulmonary form appears after inhalation of bacteria. Typhoidal form may occur after infection via different routes. Human-to-human transmission has not been known. Diagnosis can be achieved by serology, bacterial culture, and molecular methods. Treatment for tularemia typically entails use of quinolones, tetracyclines, or aminoglycosides. Preventive measures are necessary to avoid infection although difficult to implement. Research is underway for the development of effective live attenuated and subunit vaccines.
期刊介绍:
Veterinary Quarterly is an international open access journal which publishes high quality review articles and original research in the field of veterinary science and animal diseases. The journal publishes research on a range of different animal species and topics including: - Economically important species such as domesticated and non-domesticated farm animals, including avian and poultry diseases; - Companion animals (dogs, cats, horses, pocket pets and exotics); - Wildlife species; - Infectious diseases; - Diagnosis; - Treatment including pharmacology and vaccination