Causes rabbit fever and deerfly fever.
Primarily animal pathogen
Wild/domestic mammals, birds, and pets
Transmission - direct contact with infected tissues or bite of infected vector.
Transmission vector - blood-sucking/biting arthropods
Ticks also serve as reservoirs, can pass bacteria via their egg to progeny.
Survives in macrophages as well as other types of cells
Tularemia - range from mild to fatal
Onset usually abrupt
Symptoms - mostly flu-like
Most common form
Lymphadenopathy is characteristic
Direct cutaneous inoculation
Multiplies locally for 3-5 days.
Produces a papule that ulcerates after days, may persist for weeks.
Spread from local lesion to regional lymph nodes
-> enlarged, tender nodes with possible suppuration
-> via lymphatic system - multi-system spread
Tularemia with lymphadenopathy without evidence of ulceration
Gain entry by conjunctiva
Entry through pharynx - severe sore throat
Direct inhalation or by hematogenous dissemination
Pleomorphic
Lipid-rich capsule
Facultative intracellular parasite
Strictly aerobic
Fastidious
Culture - require sulfhydryl e.g. cysteine, and dangerous due to lab transmission
Diagnosis relies mostly on clinical history and possible exposure
Serology test - by agglutination or ELISA possible.
First line: Gentamicin or streptomycin
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