Identification of Francisella tularensis in ascites in the context of typhoidal tularaemia.

Tularaemia is a highly infectious, zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis, which has become increasingly prevalent over the past decade. Depending on the route of infection, different clinical manifestations can be observed. We report a case of typhoidal tularaemia presenting as a febrile illness with gastrointestinal symptoms in a patient in her mid-80s. During the acute illness phase and in the context of alcohol-related liver cirrhosis, the patient developed progressive ascites. During paracentesis, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis was consistently reported. Blood culture revealed Gram-negative bacilli identified as F. tularensis upon microscopic examination. Immediate clinical improvement was observed after adaptation to a pathogen-specific antibiotic regime. Typhoidal tularaemia presents general, non-specific symptoms without the local manifestations seen in other forms of the disease, thus representing a diagnostic challenge. In the case of protracted fever and if the epidemiological context as well as possible exposure are compatible, tularaemia should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Systematic Review of Tularemia During Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Tularemia is caused by the gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis. Although rare, tularemia during pregnancy has been associated with pregnancy complications; data on efficacy of recommended antimicrobials for treatment are limited. We performed a systematic literature review to characterize clinical manifestations of tularemia during pregnancy and examine maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes with and without antimicrobial treatment. METHODS: We searched 9 databases, including Medline, Embase, Global Health, and PubMed Central, using terms related to tularemia and pregnancy. Articles reporting cases of tularemia with ≥1 maternal or fetal outcome were included. RESULTS: Of 5891 articles identified, 30 articles describing 52 cases of tularemia in pregnant patients met inclusion criteria. Cases were reported from 9 countries, and oropharyngeal and ulceroglandular tularemia were the most common presenting forms. A plurality (46%) of infections occurred in the second trimester. Six complications were observed: lymph node aspiration, lymph node excision, maternal bleeding, spontaneous abortion, intrauterine fetal demise, and preterm birth. No deaths among mothers were reported. Of 28 patients who received antimicrobial treatment, 1 pregnancy loss and 1 fetal death were reported. Among 24 untreated patients, 1 pregnancy loss and 3 fetal deaths were reported, including one where F. tularensis was detected in placental and fetal tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy loss and other complications have been reported among cases of tularemia during pregnancy. However, risk of adverse outcomes may be lower when antimicrobials known to be effective are used. Without treatment, transplacental transmission appears possible. These data underscore the importance of prompt recognition and treatment of tularemia during pregnancy.

[Carcinoma, tuberculosis, atypical pneumonia - or may be pulmonary tularemia? Two case reports]. / Karzinom, Tuberkulose, atypische Pneumonie ­ oder vielleicht pulmonale Tularämie? Zwei Fallberichte.

Tularemia is a rare zoonotic disease, endemic in rural areas all over Germany. It's clinical manifestation following inhalation of infectious aerosols may resemble pulmonary neoplasia, other atypical pneumonias or tuberculosis. Here we describe two representative cases with pulmonary tularemia.

Diffuse skin findings secondary to lymph node tularemia in a patient with chronic rheumatoid arthritis on methotrexate.

Tularemia has many atypical presentations which can represent a diagnostic challenge. The history is essential in the investigation of this disease. Bite-induced primary skin lesions should be distinguished from the infrequent immune-mediated secondary skin lesions. Herein, we present an atypical pseudovesicular rash secondary to Francisella tularensis.

[A rare and atypical form of tularemia in a context of immunodepression]. / Forme rare et atypique de tularémie dans un contexte d'immunodépression.

INTRODUCTION: We present an original severe case of tularemia with cutaneous damage, lymphadenopathy and pericarditis ; pathology of increasing incidence in Europe due to global warming. OBSERVATION: A 33-years-old women consulted emergency unit for altered general condition, anorexia, hyperthermia at 38,3°C, dyspnea and dry cough evolving for few days. Her only history was Crohn's disease with introduction of an anti-TNF alpha for 3 months. The interrogation found regular forest walks ¼. Treatment with Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 1g 3 times daily and curative anticoagulation was started after the initial diagnosis of infectious pneumonia associated with pulmonary embolism. The patient reconsulted 2 weeks later for clinical deterioration associated with skin lesions. The chest CT scan showed increased mediastinal lymphadenopathy and a circumferential pericardial effusion ; quantified at 5mm on transthoracic ultrasound. Tularemia serology was positive in IgG at 400IU/mL. Despite an adapted antibiotic therapy with Ciprofloxacin, the patient presented a new brutal clinical deterioration. A pericardiocentesis was performed and the analysis revealed a predominantly neutrophilic exudate and a strongly positive PCR Francisella tularensis. Gentamicin 5mg/kg was associated allowing a resolution of the symptoms. CONCLUSION: Tularemia is one of the pathologies whose atypical presentation with pericarditis (favored by a certain immunodepression) worsens the prognosis. Global warming influences the epidemiology of inoculation diseases, including tularemia, making it more frequent.

Tularemia Proximal Interphalangeal Joint Septic Arthritis: A Case Report.

CASE: A case of Francisella tularensis finger proximal interphalangeal joint septic arthritis secondary to feral cat bite is presented. The patient underwent operative debridement on presentation. On postoperative day 5, a gram-negative rod resembling F. tularensis was identified. The patient received 4 weeks of gentamicin for culture-confirmed ulceroglandular tularemia. At the final follow-up, the infection had resolved, and full function of the digit had been regained. CONCLUSION: Francisella tularensis septic arthritis secondary to a feral cat bite is exceedingly rare but should be considered in the appropriate clinical context. Proper identification and treatment with antibiotics is essential for a positive outcome.

Skin involvement in Francisella tularensis infection: a case report of two clinical cases.

Tularemia, or rabbit fever, is a zoonotic infection caused by Francisella tularensis, a Gram-negative coccobacillus. F. tularensis subsp. holarctica (type B) is the predominant form in Slovenia. Humans become infected through arthropod bites, direct contact with an infected animal, ingestion of contaminated water or food, and inhalation of contaminated aerosol. The most common form is ulceroglandular tularemia (> 80%), which is characterized by a skin ulcer and regional lymphadenopathy. Below we present two cases of tularemia with skin involvement.

Tularemia: A rare cause of pediatric lymph nodes adenitis.

Adenopathy in pediatrics can have many different causes: infectious, tumoral, and inflammatory. We report the case of an 8-year-old patient with a febrile popliteal ulceration associated with an inflammatory satellite inguinal lymph node adenitis. Serological tests and polymerase chain reaction analyses confirmed the diagnosis of ulceroglandular tularemia. An appropriate antimicrobial therapy led to a full recovery. This case reminds us to consider tularemia as a potential emergent disease in children presenting with subacute to chronic lymphadenopathy and thereby to choose the correct diagnostic tool and appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

Pulmonary tularaemia. / Pulmonal tularemi.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of pulmonary tularaemia can be challenging. We present a case illustrating how pulmonary tularaemia may be an important radiological differential diagnosis to lung cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: A man in his fifties presented with several weeks of dry cough, weight loss and profuse night sweats. The physical examination was normal. A chest computer tomography showed evidence of lymphadenopathy and two consolidated lung masses. The lung masses and lymph nodes showed signs of necrosis. The radiological findings were described as suspicious of lung cancer. A detailed history revealed that he had chopped wood prior to symptom onset. He tested positive for Francisella tularensis IgM and IgG, confirming the diagnosis of pulmonary tularaemia. INTERPRETATION: The radiological findings in pulmonary tularaemia may mimic lung cancer. Serology is an easy way to confirm the diagnosis, if faced with clinical or radiological suspicion of pulmonary tularaemia.

A Rare Case of Tularemia Complicated by Rhabdomyolysis with a Successful Outcome.

We present a case of tularemia complicated by rhabdomyolysis in a 43-year-old male who presented with fever, swelling, and pain of the right groin and a history of a week-old tick bite. Empirical parenteral amoxicillin/clavulanic acid treatment was initiated. Suspecting tularemia, parenteral gentamycin was added. Later, the patient started to complain of muscle pain, weakness, and difficulties in breathing and walking. Heightened levels of creatine kinase and myoglobin concentration (42,670 IU/L and >12,000 µg/L, respectively) were found. Due to rhabdomyolysis, large amounts of intravenous fluid therapy were initiated to prevent kidney damage, continuing intravenous antibiotic therapy. Francisella tularensis IgG in serum was found to be positive only on the sixteenth day of hospitalization. Upon discharge, the laboratory analyses returned to normal levels, and the patient was in good condition. The successful outcome could be associated with the early appropriate therapy of tularemia and its rare complication of rhabdomyolysis.

[Tularaemia in two patients referred on suspicion of cancer mammae and cancer occulta].

Tularaemia (rabbit fever) is a rare infection caused by Francisella tularensis, which can be transmitted from hares and rats to humans by ticks. We present two case reports of patients with tularaemia. Both were initially referred on suspicion of cancer. A 52-year-old woman, who had had a prior tick bite, was referred on suspicion of breast cancer, and a 28-year-old man was referred on suspicion of occult cancer because of fever and lymphadenopathy in the groin. Tularaemia should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of unexplained fever and regional lymphadenopathy, especially in patients with a history of tick bites.

[A tularemia mimicking lymphoma]. / Une tularémie mimant un lymphome.

INTRODUCTION: Adenopathies are a frequent cause of recourse in internal medicine. When histological analysis reveals the presence of granuloma, multiple infectious or non-infectious etiologies are considered. If diagnoses of lymphoma, sarcoidosis or tuberculosis are easily mentioned, tularemia should also be considered in the differential diagnosis. OBSERVATION: A 54-year-old patient had a fever at the evening with night sweats and a cough resistant to two lines of antibiotics. A thoraco-abdomino-pelvic CT scan revealed hilar and mediastinal adenopathies that appeared hypermetabolic with PET-TDM, as well as pulmonary nodules. A PCR performed on lymph node biopsy and serology allowed the diagnosis of tularemia. The evolution was favourable after antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSION: The association of fever, night sweats, altered general state and mediastinal adenopathies should be considered as a diagnosis of tularemia. Ganglionic biopsy, combined with molecular biology techniques and serology, can confirm the diagnosis.

A rare cause of granulomatous hepatitis: Tularemia.

Tularemia is a zoonotic infection caused by Francisella tularensis. Tularemia has several clinical form in humans, including ulceroglandular, pneumonic, oropharyngeal, oculoglandular, and systemic (typhoidal). Tularemia may develop granulomatous and suppurative lesions, especially in the affected regional lymph nodes and various organs. Patients with hepatic involvement typically have elevated transaminase levels, hepatomegaly and rarely jaundice. Histologically, there are typically suppurative microabscesses with occasional surrounding macrophages. Rarely, hepatic granuloma can develop due to tularemia. We present a case of an 8 year-old male residing in a rural village in Turkey, who came to our hospital after having intermittent fever for four months and right upper abdominal pain for two months. Liver had a nodular appearance in liver imaging and liver biopsy were consistent with granulomatous hepatitis. The microagglutination test was positive for tularemia in the patient who was investigated for granulomatous hepatitis etiology. Symptoms and signs improved with tularemia treatment. We present a rare case of hepatic involvement of tularemia in a child. Clinicians should be suspicious of and evaluate for typhoidal tularemia in patients who present with prolonged fever and non-specific systemic symptoms, potentially with associated abdominal pain.