Francisella tularensis
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Overview
- Causes tularaemia in animals and humans
- Wildlife reservoir of infection, including rabbits, rodents, galliform birds and deer
- Survives in the soil for up to 4 months
- Type A strains associated with terrestrial animal reservoirs; type B strains with water-borne infections and aquatic animals
- Ticks and deerfly act as vectors
Characteristics
- Gram negative rod with coccobacillary appearance
- Non-moltile, obligate aerobe
- Oxidase negative, weakly catalase positive
- Fastidious, requiring cysteine for growth on blood agar
- No growth on MacConkey
- Facultative intracellular pathogen
Pathogenesis and pathogenicity
- High lipid content; virulent isolates produce capsules
- Highly virulent type A stains, F. tularensis subspecies tularensis in North America; less virulent type B strains, F. tularensis subspecies holarctica in Eurasia and North America