Tularemia, aka ‘rabbit fever’ A rare disease and potential bioweapon

摘要

Tularemia?is?a?zoonotic?disease?caused?by?Francisella?tularensis,?an?aerobic?gram-negative?coccobacillus.?Francisella?are?slow?growing,?fastidious?and?difficult?to?cultivate.Infection?may?occur?from?the?bite?of?an?infected?tick?or?deer?fly?or?other?biting?insect?or?from?contact?with?an?infected?animal.?Infection?may?also?occur?after?swallowing?or?inhaling?thebacteria?or?from?exposure?to?laboratory?accidents.?In?nature,?infections?occur?most?often?in?rabbits,?hares?and?rodents,?but?many?different?mammals?are?susceptible?to?infection.?It?is?acategory?A?bioterrorism?agent?because?of?its?pathogenicity?and?the?ease?with?which?it?can?be?weaponized.?It?is?dangerous?to?work?with?and?must?be?handled?very?carefully?in?the?laboratoryusing?biosafety?level?3?conditions.?If?used?as?a?bioweapon,?it?would?probably?be?by?aerosolization.