Treatment of tularemia in patient with chronic graft-versus-host disease.

We describe a case of human tularemia caused by Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica in a stem cell transplant recipient with chronic graft-versus-host disease who was receiving levofloxacin prophylaxis. The infection was characterized by pneumonia with septic complications.

Rapid differentiation of Francisella species and subspecies by fluorescent in situ hybridization targeting the 23S rRNA.

Background: Francisella (F.) tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia. Due to its low infectious dose, ease of dissemination and high case fatality rate, F.

Investigating an airborne tularemia outbreak, Germany.

In November 2005, an outbreak of tularemia occurred among 39 participants in a hare hunt in Hesse, Germany. Previously reported tularemia outbreaks in Germany dated back to the 1950s. We conducted a retrospective cohort study among participants and investigated the environment to identify risk factors for infection.

Description of Francisella hispaniensis sp. nov., isolated from human blood, reclassification of Francisella novicida (Larson et al. 1955) Olsufiev et al. 1959 as Francisella tularensis subsp. novicida comb. nov. and emended description of the genus Francisella.

Strain FhSp1T, isolated from human blood in Spain in 2003, was studied for its taxonomic allocation. By 16S rRNA and recA gene sequencing, the strain was shown to belong to the genus Francisella. In the 16S rRNA gene sequence, Francisella sp.

Re-emergence of tularemia in Germany: presence of Francisella tularensis in different rodent species in endemic areas.

Background: Tularemia re-emerged in Germany starting in 2004 (with 39 human cases from 2004 to 2007) after over 40 years of only sporadic human infections. The reasons for this rise in case numbers are unknown as is the possible reservoir of the etiologic agent Francisella (F.) tularensis.

Real-time PCR using hybridization probes for the rapid and specific identification of Francisella tularensis subspecies tularensis.

Tularemia is a plague-like infection caused by Francisella (F.) tularensis classified as a biological warfare agent. F.

Vaccine development using the simian immunodeficiency virus model for AIDS.

Objective: A number of trials in primates using a wide range of putative vaccines based on simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) have been performed and are summarised here.

Methods: Rhesus macaques and African green monkey (AGMs) were immunised with the test vaccines and challenged with live virus to test the efficacy of the induced or transferred immune responses to protect from infection or disease development.

Results: In initial studies, successful protection from challenge by whole inactivated virus vaccines was subsequently shown to be mediated by immune responses to human cell rather than viral proteins.