Washington [US], May 28 (ANI): A study led by researchers at the Northern Arizona University has solved a long-term mystery, providing a plausible explanation for how Francisella tularensis (rabbit fever) can overwinter in the environment outside of a host.
A study led by researchers at the Northern Arizona University has solved a long-term mystery, providing a plausible explanation for how Francisella tularensis (
Study: Francisella tularensis remains virulent for months in cold water Study: Francisella tularensis remains virulent for months in cold water
Although it is not spread through human contact, Francisella tularensis is one of the most infectious pathogenic bacteria known to science–so virulent, in fact, that it is considered a serious potential bioterrorist threat. It is thought that humans can contract respiratory tularemia, or rabbit fever–a rare and deadly disease–by inhaling as few as 10 airborne organisms.
Francisella tularensis
Image/CDC
Northern Arizona University professor David Wagner, director of the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute’s (PMI) Biodefense and Disease Ecology Center, began a three-year project in 2018 to better understand the life cycle and behavior of F. tularensis, funded through a $2.25 million grant from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).
Northern Arizona University disease ecologist David Wagner and his collaborators have published study results showing how they were able to prove, by replicating environmental conditions in the lab, that Francisella tularensis can persist for months in cold water without any nutrients and remain fully virulent. Their results provide a plausible explanation for how the deadly pathogen, which causes rabbit fever, can overwinter in the environment outside of a host.