Francisella tularensis: an arthropod-borne pathogen

Francisella tularensis: an arthropod-borne pathogen

Arthropod transmission of tularemia occurs throughout the northern hemisphere. Few pathogens show the adaptability of Francisella tularensis to such a wide array of arthropod vectors. Nonetheless, arthropod transmission of F. tularensis was last actively investigated in the first half of the 20th century. This review will focus on arthropod transmission to humans with respect to vector species,...

Spiroplasma - an emerging arthropod-borne pathogen?

Spiroplasma is a genus of wall-less, low-GC, small Gram-positive bacteria of the internal contractile cytoskeleton, with helical morphology and motility. The genus is classified within the class Mollicutes. Spiroplasma / host interactions can be classified as commensal, pathogenic or mutualist. The majority of spiroplasmas are found to be commensals of insects, arachnids, crustaceans or plants,...

Francisella tularensis: an Overview

F rancisella tularensis was first isolated in 1912 from rodents suffering from a plague-like disease in Tulare County, Calif. Subsequently, investigators learned that this small, gram-negative bacterium infects many animal species and is associated with a wide range of diseases. In humans, the bacterium causes a serious, sometimes fatal disease, called tularemia, which is also known as rabbit f...

Intracellular survival mechanisms of Francisella tularensis, a stealth pathogen.

Research on the highly virulent and contagious, facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis has come into the limelight recently, but still little is known regarding its virulence mechanisms. This review summarizes recent studies on its intramacrophage survival mechanisms, some of which appear to be novel.

Francisella tularensis