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SECTION I - INFECTIOUS AGENT
NAME: Francisella tularensis
SYNONYM OR CROSS REFERENCE: Pasteurella tularensis, tularemia, rabbit fever, deerfly fever, Ohara's disease.
CHARACTERISTICS: Gram negative bacillus, very small rods, aerobic, requires cystine for growth, grows well
on Legionella media (BCYE) and slowly on enriched (Columbia base) blood agar.
SECTION II - HEALTH HAZARD
PATHOGENICITY: Human tularemia presents as an indolent ulcer accompanied by swelling of the regional
lymph nodes (ulceroglandular); inhalation may be followed by a pneumonic disease or primary systemic (typhoidal)
picture; type A s 5-10% fatality rate; 30% mortality from pulmonary tularemia.
EPIDEMIOLOGY: Throughout North America and continental Europe, USSR, and Japan- all months of the year;
higher in early winter during rabbit hunting season and summer when ticks and deerflies are abundant.
HOST RANGE: Wild animals (rabbits); some domestic animals; humans.
INFECTIOUS DOSE: 10 organisms by the respiratory route.
MODE OF TRANSMISSION: Inoculation of skin, conjunctival sac or oropharyngeal mucosa with blood or tissue
while handling infected animals, or by fluids from infected flies, ticks or other animals; bite of arthropods (deerfly,
mosquito) and ticks; ingestion of contaminated food; inhalation of contaminated dust.
INCUBATION PERIOD: Related to virulence of infecting strain; 2-10 days, usually 3 days.
COMMUNICABILITY: Not directly transmitted from person to person; unless treated, infectious agent may be
found in blood during first 2 weeks of disease and in lesions for a month; flies infective for 14 days, and ticks
throughout lifetime (2 years).
SECTION III - DISSEMINATION
RESERVOIR: Numerous wild animals, especially rabbits, hares, muskrats, beavers and some domestic animals;
various hard ticks.
ZOONOSIS: Yes - handling infected rodents and other animals; bites from infected blood sucking arthropods;
cat bites.
VECTORS: Ticks, deerflies.
SECTION IV - VIABILITY
DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY: Susceptible to aminoglycosides, streptomycin, gentamycin and kanamycin (bactericidal)
and tetracyclines, chloramphenicol (bacteriostatic); streptomycin for severe disease and tetracycline for less
severe.
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISINFECTANTS: Susceptible to many disinfectants - 1% sodium hypochlorite,-70% ethanol,
glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde.
PHYSICAL INACTIVATION: Susceptible to moist heat (121o C for at least 15 min.) and dry heat (160-170o
C for at least 1 hour).
SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: Carcasses and organs - up to 133 days; grain dust- bedbugs - 136 days- rabbit meat
- 31 days; straw - 192 days; water - up to 90 days.
SECTION V - MEDICAL
SURVEILLANCE: Monitor for symptoms; confirm by serological testing.
FIRST AID/TREATMENT: Antibiotic therapy with streptomycin.
IMMUNIZATION: Live attenuated vaccines available from CDC for occupational risk groups.
PROPHYLAXIS: Treatment with antibiotic.
SECTION VI - LABORATORY HAZARDS
LABORATORY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS: Third most commonly reported; almost all cases involved tularemia research;
few cases related to work with infected animals and their ectoparasites; 225 cases up to 1976 with 2 deaths.
SOURCES/SPECIMENS: Lesion exudate, respiratory secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, blood, urine, tissues from
infected animals and fluids from infected arthropods.
PRIMARY HAZARDS: Direct contact of skin or mucous membranes with infectious materials, accidental parenteral
inoculation, ingestion and exposure to aerosols and infectious droplets.
SPECIAL HAZARDS: Cultures have been more commonly associated with infection dm clinical materials and infected
animals.
SECTION VII - RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS
CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS: Biosafety level 2 practices and containment for activities with clinical materials;
Biosafety level 3 practices, containment and facilities for all manipulations of cultures and for experimental
animal studies.
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING: Laboratory coat; gloves when direct contact with infectious materials is unavoidable-,
gloves and gown (with tight wrists and tie in back) for work with infectious materials in biosafety cabinet.
OTHER PRECAUTIONS: Use impervious gloves when handling animals, especially rabbits.
SECTION VIII - HANDLING INFORMATION
SPILLS: Allow aerosols to settle; wearing protective clothing, cover the spill with absorbent paper and
apply 1% sodium hypochlorite (20% commercial bleach), starting at the perimeter and working towards the center;
allow sufficient contact time (30 minutes) before clean up.
DISPOSAL: Decontaminate all wastes before disposal, steam sterilization, chemical disinfection incineration.
STORAGE: In sealed containers that are appropriately labeled.
Date prepared: September, 1996 Prepared by: Canadian Office of Biosafety Information edited by the Colorado State
University Office of Biosafety; January 4, 1999.
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