[Results of prolonged study of flood plain-swamp endemic foci of tularemia, and its prophylaxis in the Leningrad Region].

The results of a prolonged (more than 18 years), comprehensive study have revealed that stable natural foci of tularemia in backwater swamps are widely spread in the Leningrad region. These foci are located in the narrow swampy flood-plains of small watercourses with adjacent meadow areas among forests. Water from such small watercourses can often serve as the indicator of the epizootic process: during the above-mentioned period 346 Francicella tularensis strain have been isolated from water and 86 strains from small mammals.