8 September, = 2008

Past and = Future=20 Newsletters on Tularemia

No = bioterrorism events=20 in the USA due to Francisella=20 tularensis, the causative bacterial agent of the disease = =93tularemia=94, have=20 occurred in the 21^st century. =20 Fortunately, this absence of disease includes during the = incubation=20 period of tularemia following detection of F.tularensis by Biowatch = filters in some=20 US cities. For example, public reports (online) of such events have = occurred at=20 least one time in the months of September or October in or near Houston = (2003),=20 Washington, DC (2005), San Jose (2005), and St. Louis (2006).=20

During this = September=20 and October (2008) this Newsletter and website (http://www.bepast.org/) will = increase its=20 information and commentary on tularemia: its history, diagnosis, = prevention, and=20 treatment. This focus will build on past newsletters on tularemia posted = on this=20 site.

For example, = newsletters posted here have commented on in vitro work co-culturing the = protozoan=20 parasite Acanthamoeba with F. = tularensis=20 (14 July 2008), algorithms to diagnose the index case(s) of = tularemia after=20 a bioterrorism event (October 1 and 3, 2005; October 4 and October 6, = 2007), and the=20 environmentally rare, but in-vitro well studied =93Fx1=94 and =93Fx2=94 = isolates of F. Tularensis novocida-like = stains (July=20 30-31, 2008).

Daniel R. = Lucey,=20 MD

EROne = Institutes,=20 Washington Hospital Center

Adjunct = Professor of=20 Microbiology and Immunology

Georgetown = University=20 Medical Center

Washington,=20 DC

E-mail:=20 DRL23@Georgetown.edu