Tularemia -- Francisella Tularensis Flashcards
What type of bacteria is Francisella Tularensis?
aerobic, gram-negative, non motile and non sporing
What is the main reservoir for Francisella?
Rabbits
What is the incubation period fro Francisella?
3-5 days
What symptoms do people who develop pneumonic tularemia experience?
chest pain, bloody sputum, difficulty breathing
T or F. Francisella is considered a Catergory A biodefense agent.
True
What are the virulence factors for Francisella?
LPS - decreases immunostimulatory property
Bacterial capsule
Transposon mutagenesis
What is the most common form of the disease caused by Francisella?
Ulceroglandular tularemia
What are the symptoms for ulceroglandular tularemia?
- skin ulcer
- swollen and painful lymph glands
- fever
- chills
- headache
- exhaustion
What are the symptoms for glandular tularemia?
same as ulcerolandular except no skin ulcers
What are the symptoms for oculoglandular tularemia?
eye pain, eye redness, eye swelling and discharge, an ulcer on the inside of the eyelid
What are the symptoms for oropharyngeal tularemia?
fever, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea
What are the symptoms for pneumonic tularemia?
cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing,
What are the symptoms for typhoidal tularemia?
high fever, extreme exhaustion, vomiting and diarrhea, enlarged spleen/liver, pneumonia
What are the ways that tularemia can be transmitted?
- insect bites- ticks and deerflies
- exposure to sick or dead animals
- Airborne bacteria - cause pneuominc tularemia
- contaminated food or water - causes digestive problems (oropharyngeal tularemia)
How does one Dx tularemia?
blood culture, blood test, CXR, PCR from ulcer sample
