Gourt > Health > Conditions and Diseases > Infectious Diseases > Bacterial > Tularemia
Tularemia (also known as "rabbit fever") is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. The disease is endemic in North America, and parts of Europe and Asia. The primary vectors are ticks and deer flies, but the disease can also be spread through other arthropods. Rodents, rabbits, hares and ticks often serve as reservoir hosts. The disease is named after Tulare County, California.
Mechanism of infection
Francisella tularensis is one of the most infective bacteria known; fewer than ten organisms can cause disease leading to severe illness. Humans are most often infected by tick bite or through handling an infected animal. Ingesting infected water, soil, or food can also cause infection. Tularemia can be acquired by inhalation; hunters are at a higher risk for this disease because of the potential of inhaling the bacteria during the skinning process. Tularemia is not spread directly from person to person.
Francisella tularensis is an intracellular bacterium, meaning that it is able to live as a parasite within host cells. It primarily infects macrophages, a type of white blood cell. It is thus able to evade the immune system. The course of disease involves spread of the organism to multiple organ systems, including the lungs, liver, spleen, and lymphatic system. The course of disease is similar regardless of the route of exposure. Mortality in untreated (pre-antibiotic-era) patients has been as high as 50% in the pneumoniac and typhoidal forms of the disease, which however account for <10% of cases. Overall mortality was 7% for untreated cases, and the disease responds well to antibiotics with a fatality rate of about 2%. The exact cause of death is unclear, but it is thought be a combination of multiple organ system failures.
More on [ Tularemia ]
Vector Borne
Zoonoses
Ticks :: Ticks and Mites
(FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to Restanza(TM) (cethromycin), ... oral antibiotic, for the ...treatment of ...tularemia.
hachtmut (Hartmut Kunz) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:03:22 -0000
(FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to Restanza(TM) (cethromycin), ... oral antibiotic, for the ...treatment of ...tularemia.
. @txvoodoo Should have said my great-grandmother. She died of tularemia b/c there were no antibiotics available then.
plutoniumpage (Page van der Linden) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:39:11 -0000
. @txvoodoo Should have said my great-grandmother. She died of tularemia b/c there were no antibiotics available then.
Laboratory-contracted tularemia. My grandmother died of that but got it from skinning a rabbit http://bit.ly/4DLJtH
plutoniumpage (Page van der Linden) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:35:10 -0000
Laboratory-contracted tularemia. My grandmother died of that but got it from skinning a rabbit http://bit.ly/4DLJtH
Ft. Detrick worker hospitalized with tularemia - http://fwix.com/article/21_2962d7dd3a
baltimorelocal (Baltimore Local News) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:53:38 -0000
Ft. Detrick worker hospitalized with tularemia - http://fwix.com/article/21_2962d7dd3a
Ft. Detrick worker hospitalized with tularemia http://bit.ly/8OxxlU
insidecharmcity (Inside Charm City) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:05:28 -0000
Ft. Detrick worker hospitalized with tularemia http://bit.ly/8OxxlU
Md. Biodefense Worker Hospitalized With Tularemia http://bit.ly/50GpAs
charmcitynews (Baltimore News) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:26:49 -0000
Md. Biodefense Worker Hospitalized With Tularemia http://bit.ly/50GpAs
Center for Biosecurity: Tularemia - Disease fact sheet.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tularemia - Includes fact sheets, laboratory testing information, and infection control for health professionals.
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CIDRAP: Tularemia - Medical overview aimed at clinicians in identifying and treating tularemia, along with updated news and links related to the disease.
JAMA: Tularemia as a Biological Weapon: Medical and Public Health Management - Extensive research article from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Meta Description: [ JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, is a highly cited weekly medical journal that publishes peer-reviewed new medical research findings and editorial opinions on a wide variety of topics important to clinical practice and biomedical science. JAMA has the largest circulation of ... ]
JAVMA: Tularemia outbreak identified in pet prairie dogs - Journal article of an outbreak in prairie dogs from a Texas facility.
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Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare: Tularemia - Chapter from the textbook on tularemia in .pdf form.
MEDLINEplus Medical Encyclopedia: Tularemia - Features cause, symptoms, carriers, prevention, treatment, and prognosis.
New England Journal of Medicine: Tularemia Revisited - Article on recent outbreaks of the disease.
Meta Description: [ Editorial from The New England Journal of Medicine -- Tularemia Revisited ]
Tularemia Information: CDC Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (DVBID) - Information on the disease for the general public.
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