Tularaemia: clinical aspects in Europe

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Bacteriology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Tularaemia is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.
• Infections are typically caused by F tularensis subspecies tularensis (type A) in North America and F tularensis subspecies holarctica (type B) in Europe.
• Previous literature on tularaemia predominantly focused on US-based findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and emphasize the specific and variable aspects of tularaemia in different European countries.
• To highlight novel data on tularaemia characteristics that have emerged in Europe over the past decade.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on tularaemia in Europe.
• Synthesis of recent studies providing novel data on disease characteristics.

Main Results:

• Two distinct natural lifecycles of F tularensis have been identified in Europe.
• These lifecycles are associated with varying modes of transmission, clinical presentations, and public health burdens.
• Significant changes and novel data regarding tularaemia in Europe have emerged in the last decade.

Conclusions:

• Tularaemia exhibits significant variability across European countries.
• Understanding the distinct European F tularensis lifecycles is crucial for public health management.
• Further characterization of these lifecycles is needed to fully grasp their implications.