General Information About Tularemia
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is a dangerous infectious disease (zoonosis) caused by a highly virulent bacterium called Francisella tularensis, transmitted from animals to humans, presenting with sudden fever and varying organ involvement.
In nature, this bacterium is predominantly found in wild rabbits, rodents, and ticks. It is transmitted to humans by handling the meat or blood of an infected animal barehanded (common in hunters and butchers), through tick or deer fly bites, or by ingesting well water contaminated with the bacterium.
If the bacterium enters through a minor scratch on the skin (which is the most common form, ulceroglandular tularemia), it produces a painless ulcer with a black eschar (scab) at the entry site. Subsequently, the regional lymph nodes in the neck or axilla (armpit) swell to the size of an egg, becoming highly erythematous (red) and extremely painful (glandular involvement).
No, it is absolutely not transmitted from human to human. The disease is always acquired directly from animals, environmental exposure, or through tick/insect vectors.
The patient's clinical history (hunting activities, nature exposure, tick bites) plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis. Fluid aspirated from a swollen lymph node or an ulcer swab is subjected to bacterial culture, and definitive diagnosis is established by detecting tularemia-specific antibodies in the blood (Serology).
The disease is inherently resistant to conventional penicillin-class antibiotics. Specialized antibiotics (such as Streptomycin, Gentamicin, or Doxycycline) are prescribed by an Infectious Diseases specialist. When pharmacotherapy is initiated early (before the lymph nodes undergo suppuration/abscess formation), a complete cure is achieved within 10-14 days. If treatment is delayed, surgically draining the abscessed lymph nodes may be required.
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
