Re-emergence ofFrancisella tularensisin Germany: fatal tularaemia in a colony of semi-free-living marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Abstract

Francisella tularensis was identified as the cause of a die-off which occurred among a colony of semi-free-living common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). During the outbreak 5 out of 62 animals died of tularaemia in a research facility located in the district of Goettingen, Germany. All animals had been born at the facility suggesting an endemic infection. A total of five culture isolates were recovered and characterized as F. tularensis holarctica, biovar I. These cultures represent the first isolates obtained in the Federal Republic of Germany for more than 45 years. The outbreak area shows several geographical and ecological characteristics known to favour long-term presence of F. tularensis. Persistence of the pathogen in the remote region along the former German-German border, continuous re-introduction from eastern European countries after destruction of the 'Iron curtain' or introduction through migrating birds are testable hypotheses which could explain the emergence of tularaemia in this particular region.

Tularaemia seroprevalence of captured and wild animals in Germany: the fox (Vulpes vulpes) as a biological indicator

“…In addition, outbreaks or single cases in wild animals, e.g. hares, and semi-free-living animals (marmosets and cynomolgus monkeys) have been described in Germany more recently [21][22][23].…”

Putting the Jigsaw Together - A Brief Insight Into the Tularemia

“…It is widespread throughout the Old World and North America [79]. On the Eurasian continent, tularemia is traditionally reported from Scandinavian countries, particularly from Sweden [80,81]; from countries of Central Europe, including Germany [82,83], Austria [84,85], the Czech Republic and Slovakia [84,86]; from countries of the former Soviet Union [87][88][89]; from Central Asia [90][91][92], including Mongolia [93]; and from the Japanese islands [94,95]. Tularemia has been occurring in Turkey [96][97][98] and Spain [99,100] since the 1990s.…”

Evaluation of an Immunochromatographic Test for Rapid and Reliable Serodiagnosis of Human Tularemia and Detection ofFrancisella tularensis-Specific Antibodies in Sera from Different Mammalian Species

“…For ELISA, a commercial test kit approved for use in human diagnostics (Seramun, Dolgenbrodt, Germany), was used according to the manufacturer's instructions with slight modifications (26). For humans and NHP serum samples, a horseradish peroxidase-anti-human immunoglobulin conjugate was used.…”

“…More than 200 species ranging from mice to men have been shown to develop clinical infection, but rodents and lagomorphs are more particularly susceptible and are considered to represent the main reservoir in many areas of the world (16). Transmission is often associated with handling of infected animals, but the infection can also be acquired orally, via the respiratory route, or by bites of infected vertebrates or arthropod vectors (19,26). In addition, F. tularensis is considered a category A agent with a high potential to be misused in bio terrorism or biological warfare (9).…”

“…In veterinary medicine, serology is used mainly for tularemia surveillance in rodents, hares, or surrogate animals such as boars or predators, including wolves or bears (1,26,34). Tularemia outbreaks in zoos or animal facilities cause additional necessities for a multispecies assay, which could be applied as a point-of-care assay (18).…”