Francisella tularensis

Valeria Fabre Fabre, M.D., John G. Bartlett, M.D.
Francisella tularensis is a topic covered in the Johns Hopkins ABX Guide.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Official website of the Johns Hopkins Antibiotic (ABX), HIV, Diabetes, and Psychiatry Guides, powered by Unbound Medicine. Johns Hopkins Guide App for iOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android included. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

MICROBIOLOGY

  • Small, pleomorphic, intracellular and extracellular fastidious aerobic Gram-negative coccobacillus [Fig 1].
  • Culture: poor or no growth on standard media.
    • Media most often employed: Thayer-Martin, BCYE or chocolate agar with addition of cysteine and/or cysteine (thioglycolate).
      • MacConkey does not yield growth.
    • Slow grower, may require CO2 supplementation.
  • Considered an important laboratory hazard to laboratory personnel requiring specialized safety procedures. Notify lab if considering diagnosis when submitting specimens; higher level labs may be required.
  • Four recognized subspecies that vary in location and virulence:
    • F. tularensis: distinguished by PCR.
      • Biovar tularensis (Type A), typically associated with lagomorphs (hares, rabbits, pikas)
      • Biovar holarctica (B), frequently associated with rodents and aquatic environments
      • Biovar mediasiatica and subspecies novicida

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

MICROBIOLOGY

  • Small, pleomorphic, intracellular and extracellular fastidious aerobic Gram-negative coccobacillus [Fig 1].
  • Culture: poor or no growth on standard media.
    • Media most often employed: Thayer-Martin, BCYE or chocolate agar with addition of cysteine and/or cysteine (thioglycolate).
      • MacConkey does not yield growth.
    • Slow grower, may require CO2 supplementation.
  • Considered an important laboratory hazard to laboratory personnel requiring specialized safety procedures. Notify lab if considering diagnosis when submitting specimens; higher level labs may be required.
  • Four recognized subspecies that vary in location and virulence:
    • F. tularensis: distinguished by PCR.
      • Biovar tularensis (Type A), typically associated with lagomorphs (hares, rabbits, pikas)
      • Biovar holarctica (B), frequently associated with rodents and aquatic environments
      • Biovar mediasiatica and subspecies novicida

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.

Last updated: February 5, 2019