Pathogenesis of Francisella tularensis Francisella tularensis is carried by many species of wild rodents, rabbits, beavers. Humans become infected by handling the carcasses or skin of infected animals, by inhaling infective aerosols or ingesting contaminated water, through insect vectors and … Read more
Laboratory diagnosis of Francisella tularensis Specimen Scrapings from infected ulcers, lymph node biopsies, and sputum, whole blood. Serum is generally collected from all patients early in disease and during convalescence. To minimize the loss of viable organisms, samples should be … Read more
Image Source: New York State Health Department Some of the characteristics are as follows: Basic Characteristics Properties (Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis) Capsule Positive (+ve) Catalase Positive (+ve) Flagella Negative (-ve) Gas Negative (-ve) Gelatin Hydrolysis Negative (-ve) Gram Staining Faintly … Read more
Cystine Glucose Blood Agar is known as Cystine Heart Agar. Francis developed blood-dextrose-cystine agar after determining F. tularensis would only grow on an artificial medium supplemented with sulfhydryl compounds (i.e., cystine). F. tularensis is a fastidious organism and requires cysteine for … Read more