Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2020 05;42(5):644-653

Halifax, NS.

Objective: Lyme disease is an emerging infection in Canada caused by the bacterium belonging to the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex, which is transmitted via the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. Populations of blacklegged ticks continue to expand and are now established in different regions in Canada. It usually takes more than 24 hours of tick attachment to transfer B. Read More

Epidemiol Mikrobiol Imunol 2020 ;69(1):42-47

Bioterrorist threats and attacks are still an issue of concern in the world. Biological agents are divided into three categories. The highest priority agents classified in category A pose a massive risk to public health and national security. Read More

Internist (Berl) 2020 May;61(5):518-521

Klinik für Innere Medizin, Gastroenterologie, Hämato-Onkologie, Pneumologie und Palliativmedizin, Krankenhaus Bietigheim-Vaihingen, Riedstr. 12, 74321, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Deutschland.

A 33-year-old woman in a seriously ill state presented with hepatic abscesses. The proof of epitheloid-like reactions by biopsy and further serological analysis led to the final diagnosis of tularemia, which represents a rare disease in Germany. Thereafter targeted antibiotic therapy was successfully initiated. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020 May 20;20(5):334-347. Epub 2020 Feb 20.

National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran.

Entomological surveys of ectoparasites and their hosts are an essential tool for assessing the risks of rodent-borne diseases transmitted to humans by arthropod vectors. This study was carried out to update the epidemiological data of plague with respect to species compositions of the rodents and their ectoparasites at enzootic foci located in Kurdistan Province, Iran. The rodents' habitats were selected based on past records of plague and subclimates in each study district with especial attention to the vegetation type. Read More

Mikrobiyol Bul 2020 Jan;54(1):1-10

Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Ankara, Turkey.

Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative, coccobasillus, facultative intracellular bacteria and causes a zoonotic disease, tularemia in humans. F.tularensis has four subspecies, which have different virulences for humans as F. Read More

J Am Vet Med Assoc 2020 01;256(2):220-225

Objective: To characterize the epidemiology, clinical signs, and treatment of dogs with infection in New Mexico.

Animals: 87 dogs in which 88 cases of tularemia (1 dog had 2 distinct cases) were confirmed by the New Mexico Department of Health Scientific Laboratory Division from 2014 through 2016 and for which medical records were available.

Procedures: Dogs were confirmed to have tularemia if they had a 4-fold or greater increase in anti- antibody titer between acute and convalescent serum samples or had been isolated from a clinical or necropsy specimen. Read More

PLoS One 2019 26;14(12):e0226778. Epub 2019 Dec 26.

Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan.

Francisella tularensis, a category-A bioterrorism agent causes tularemia. F. tularensis suppresses the immune response of host cells and intracellularly proliferates. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020 Mar 29;11(2):101350. Epub 2019 Nov 29.

Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Department of Comparative Animal Physiology and General Zoology, Kamenice 753/5, Brno, 625 00, Czech Republic.

Wild rodents are an important source of the tick-borne pathogens Coxiella burnetii and Francisella tularensis. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of antibodies and possible coexistence of these pathogens in wild small mammals from three localities in the Czech Republic. A total of 614 wild small mammals (324 Apodemus flavicollis, 145 Myodes glareolus, 50 Sorex araneus, 48 A. Read More

Bull Exp Biol Med 2019 Nov 21;168(1):66-68. Epub 2019 Nov 21.

Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute, Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, Irkutsk, Russia.

We studied the effect of the organoselenium compound 2,6-dipyridinium-9-selenium-bicyclo[ 3,3,1]nonan dibromide (974zh) on the severity of pathological changes in the organs of experimental animals immunized with live tularemia and brucellosis vaccines. It was found that 974zh reduced reactogenicity of vaccines for experimental animals. Our findings indicate the prospects for further studies of the effects of 974zh on the functional state of experimental animals. Read More

Infect Immun 2020 01 22;88(2). Epub 2020 Jan 22.

Immunity to Pulmonary Pathogens Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA

The mechanisms by which interferon gamma (IFN-γ) controls the replication of cytosolic pathogens independent of responses, such as the generation of reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), have not been fully elucidated. In the current study, we developed a model using , the causative agent of tularemia, in which pathways triggered by IFN-γ commonly associated with bacterial control were not required. Using this model, we demonstrated that IFN-γ-mediated production of itaconate and its ability to impair host mitochondrial function, independent of activity on the pathogen, were central for the restriction of bacterial replication and We then demonstrate that IFN-γ-driven itaconate production was dispensable, as directly targeting complex II using cell membrane-permeable metabolites also controlled infection. Read More

APMIS 2020 Jan;128(1):61-64

Department of Infectious Diseases, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark.

Francisella tularensis is a zoonotic bacterium which causes the infection tularemia. It colonizes invertebrates and vertebrates, counting wildlife animals and rodents. Humans can become infected through several pathways including contaminated food, water, and handling animals and due to bites from vectors. Read More

PLoS One 2019 24;14(10):e0224094. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, New York, United States of America.

Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for causing tularemia in the northern hemisphere. F. tularensis has long been developed as a biological weapon due to its ability to cause severe illness upon inhalation of as few as ten organisms and, based on its potential to be used as a bioterror agent is now classified as a Tier 1 Category A select agent by the CDC. Read More

Epidemiol Infect 2019 10 22;147:e293. Epub 2019 Oct 22.

Department of Pathology and Wildlife Diseases, National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Uppsala, Sweden.

Tularaemia is a zoonotic disease, in Europe caused by Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica. Many lagomorphs and a variety of small rodents are wildlife species prone to develop clinical disease, while predators and scavengers are relatively resistant and may serve as sentinels. Read More

Annu Rev Entomol 2020 01 10;65:351-372. Epub 2019 Oct 10.

Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health and New England Regional Biosafety Laboratory, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts 01536, USA; email:

Tularemia is a Holarctic zoonosis caused by the gamma proteobacterium and is considered to be a vector-borne disease. In many regions, human risk is associated with the bites of flies, mosquitoes, or ticks. But the biology of the agent is such that risk may be fomite related, and large outbreaks can occur due to inhalation or ingestion of contaminated materials. Read More

Muscle Nerve 2020 01 7;61(1):E1-E2. Epub 2019 Nov 7.

Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Am J Clin Pathol 2020 01;153(1):139-145

Quest Diagnostics, Secaucus, NJ.

Objectives: We evaluated trends in non-Lyme disease tick-borne disease (NLTBI) testing at a national reference laboratory.

Methods: Testing data performed at Quest Diagnostics during 2010 to 2016 were analyzed nationally and at the state level.

Results: Testing and positivity for most NLTBIs increased dramatically from 2010 through 2016 based on testing from a large reference laboratory. Read More

Cell Immunol 2019 11 3;345:103962. Epub 2019 Aug 3.

Department of Immunology and Microbial Disease, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208, United States. Electronic address:

Previous in vivo studies established that inactivated Francisella tularensis immune complexes (mAb-iFt) are a more protective vaccine against lethal tularemia than iFt alone. Subsequent in vitro studies revealed enhanced DC maturation marker expression with mAb-iFt stimulation. The goal of this study was to determine the mechanism of enhanced DC maturation. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 10 2;16(19). Epub 2019 Oct 2.

Stockholm University, Department of Physical Geography, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.

Hydroclimatic changes may be particularly pronounced in high-latitude regions and can influence infectious diseases, jeopardizing regional human and animal health. In this study, we consider the example of tularemia, one of the most studied diseases in high-latitude regions, which is likely to be impacted by large regional hydroclimatic changes. For this disease case, we use a validated statistical model and develop a method for quantifying possible hydroclimatically driven shifts in outbreak conditions. Read More

Immunohorizons 2019 09 13;3(9):433-439. Epub 2019 Sep 13.

Immunity to Pulmonary Pathogens Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840

The metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis is universally accepted as a necessary step for immune cells to mount effector functions. However, it is unknown if this paradigm holds true for T cells regardless of anatomical location. In this study, we compared metabolic responses among distinct mouse pulmonary CD4 effector T cell (T) pools following intranasal vaccination with either or Surprisingly, in contrast to circulating CD4 T, upon ex vivo stimulation, resident CD4 T did not shift to glycolysis. Read More

Dtsch Med Wochenschr 2019 09 12;144(18):1276-1279. Epub 2019 Sep 12.

Abteilung für Tropenmedizin und Infektionskrankheiten und Sektion Nephrologie, Universitätsmedizin Rostock.

Microb Pathog 2019 Dec 9;137:103742. Epub 2019 Sep 9.

Bacteriology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD, United States. Electronic address:

Low molecular mass penicillin binding proteins (LMM PBP) are bacterial enzymes involved in the final steps of peptidoglycan biosynthesis. In Escherichia coli, most LMM PBP exhibit dd-carboxypeptidase activity, are not essential for growth in routine laboratory media, and contributions to virulent phenotypes remain largely unknown. The Francisella tularensis Schu S4 genome harbors the dacD gene (FTT_1029), which encodes a LMM PBP with homology to PBP6b of E. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Sep 6;12(9). Epub 2019 Sep 6.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kantonsspital Graubunden, Chur, Switzerland.

Tularaemia is a rare infectious disease endemic in most European countries caused by the bacterium Patients often show acute non-specific symptoms, which causes a delay in diagnosis and proper treatment, potentially resulting in significant morbidities such as deep neck abscess, meningitis, endocarditis and septic shock. The authors present a case of a 5-year old boy with a 4-day history of fever, sore throat and painful cervical lymphadenopathy, whose clinical progression worsened despite being treated with recommended antibiotics as per WHO guidelines once the diagnosis of Tularaemia was confirmed by serologic tests. He developed a parapharyngeal abscess and a persistent left necrotic cervical lymph node, which both were surgically drained and excised, respectively, and an extended course of antibiotic was given. Read More

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2019 Oct 19;66:101322. Epub 2019 Jun 19.

National Reference Laboratory of Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar-Ahang, Hamadan, Iran; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

Most zoonoses are occupational diseases. Q fever, brucellosis and tularemia are major zoonotic diseases for butchers and slaughterhouse workers. However, little information is available about these infectious diseases in such professional populations in western of Iran. Read More

Clin Exp Immunol 2019 11 12;198(2):143-152. Epub 2019 Sep 12.

CBR Division, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.

Vaccines are considered the bedrock of preventive medicine. However, for many pathogens, it has been challenging to develop vaccines that stimulate protective, long-lasting immunity. We have developed a novel approach using β-1,3-D-glucans (BGs), natural polysaccharides abundantly present in fungal cell walls, as a biomaterial platform for vaccine delivery. Read More

Epidemiol Mikrobiol Imunol 2019 ;68(2):82-89

Tularemia, otherwise known as “rabbit fever”, is a zoonotic disease caused by a gram-negative intracellular bacterium - Francisella tularensis. The species is considered as a potential bioterrorism agent due to its high infectivity, the fact of being relatively easy to culture, the absence of human vaccine, and the potential for spreading through aerosol. In the Czech Republic, infection is usually caused by a tick bite, less frequently by a mosquito bite, direct contact with infected animals, or ingestion of contaminated water. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2019 Aug 9;13(1):247. Epub 2019 Aug 9.

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Straße 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.

Background: Cervical lymph node swelling is quite a common symptom mainly caused by infections in the face or as metastasis of a malignant tumor. In infection cases in particular, rare diseases should never be overlooked. With an incidence of 120 cases in the United States of America (USA) and approximately 25 cases in Germany per year, infection with the pathogen Francisella tularensis is one of these rare diseases that can cause massive lymph node swellings and might even be fatal. Read More

J Med Entomol 2020 01;57(1):131-155

Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO.

In the United States, tick-borne diseases are increasing in incidence and cases are reported over an expanding geographical area. Avoiding tick bites is a key strategy in tick-borne disease prevention, and this requires current and accurate information on where humans are at risk for exposure to ticks. Based on a review of published literature and records in the U. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;2024:59-78

Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

The study of the humoral immune response to infectious and chronic diseases is important for understanding the disease progression, identification of protective antigens, vaccine development, and discovery of biomarkers for early diagnosis. Proteomic approaches, including serological proteome analysis (SERPA), have been used to identify the repertoire of immunoreactive proteins in various diseases. In this chapter, we provide an outline of the SERPA approach, using the analysis of sera from mice vaccinated with a live attenuated tularemia vaccine as an example. Read More

Zoonoses Public Health 2019 11 23;66(7):835-841. Epub 2019 Jul 23.

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA.

Zoonotic diseases are endemic in the country of Georgia. Using the non-linear canonical correlation (NCC) method, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between thirteen epidemiological risk factors and seropositivity to five zoonotic infections (anthrax, Q fever, tularemia, leptospirosis, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever [CCHF]) among Georgian military recruits during 2014-2016. According to this multivariate statistical technique, which is suitable for the analysis of two or more sets of qualitative variables simultaneously, two canonical variables were identified. Read More

Virulence 2019 12;10(1):643-656

f Department of Developmental Biology , University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine , Pittsburgh , PA , USA.

Pathogens enhance their survival during infections by manipulating host defenses. evades innate immune responses, which we have found to be dependent on an understudied gene (FTL_0883/FTT_0615c). To understand the function of YbeX, we sought protein interactors in subsp. Read More

Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2019 08 12;17:100315. Epub 2019 Jun 12.

Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address:

Limited information is available on tropical ticks and tick-borne bacteria affecting the health of humans and animals in the Southeast Asia region. Francisella tularensis is a tick-borne bacterium which causes a potentially life-threatening disease known as tularemia. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of Francisella spp. Read More

Forensic Sci Int 2019 Sep 2;302:109869. Epub 2019 Jul 2.

Department of Biological Agents, Division of CBRN Defence and Security, Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), SE-901 82 Umeå, Sweden. Electronic address:

A common objective in microbial forensic investigations is to identify the origin of a recovered pathogenic bacterium by DNA sequencing. However, there is currently no consensus about how degrees of belief in such origin hypotheses should be quantified, interpreted, and communicated to wider audiences. To fill this gap, we have developed a concept based on calculating probabilistic evidential values for microbial forensic hypotheses. Read More

Emerg Microbes Infect 2019 ;8(1):1027-1042

a Centre National de Référence des Francisella, Institut de Biologie et de Pathologie , Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Grenoble Alpes , Grenoble , France.

is a Gram-negative, intracellular bacterium causing the zoonosis tularemia. This highly infectious microorganism is considered a potential biological threat agent. Humans are usually infected through direct contact with the animal reservoir and tick bites. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019 12;9:198. Epub 2019 Jun 12.

Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States.

Bacteria alter gene expression in response to changes in their environment through various mechanisms that include signal transduction systems. These signal transduction systems use membrane histidine kinase with sensing domains to mediate phosphotransfer to DNA-binding proteins that alter the level of gene expression. Such regulators are called two-component systems (TCSs). Read More

Turk J Ophthalmol 2019 06;49(3):164-167

Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Ankara, Turkey

Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by , a highly virulent gram-negative coccobacillus. Oropharyngeal tularemia, one of the clinical subtypes, is the most common clinical form of the disease in Eastern Europe, including Turkey. This clinical form affects mostly the head and neck region and the most common complaints of patients are mass in the neck, sore throat, and fever. Read More

J Clin Microbiol 2019 08 26;57(8). Epub 2019 Jul 26.

Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Tularemia caused by is a zoonotic infection of the Northern Hemisphere that mainly affects the skin, lymph nodes, bloodstream, and lungs. Other manifestations of tularemia are very rare, especially those with musculoskeletal involvement. Presenting in 2016, we diagnosed two cases of periprosthetic knee joint infections (PJI) caused by in Europe (one in Switzerland and one in the Czech Republic). Read More

Trop Doct 2019 Oct 11;49(4):264-268. Epub 2019 Jun 11.

Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.

Tularaemia has become a public health threat in Turkey. Our aim was to examine the epidemiological characteristics of 154 tularaemia cases reported from Kayseri, Central Anatolia, between 2010 and 2017. Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by micro-agglutination test (≥1/160 titres). Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Jun 7;19(1):502. Epub 2019 Jun 7.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging infectious diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, No. 69, Pasteur Ave, Tehran, 1316943551, Iran.

Background: Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia in humans and a large number of animal species. Considering recent evidence of the circulation of this bacterium in different parts of Iran, especially in the western provinces, the aim of current study was to determine the tularemia seroprevalence in the human population living in Ilam Province.

Methods: In 2015, 360 serum samples were collected from five groups of people: ranchers (n = 112), farmers (n = 79), butchers and slaughterhouse workers (n = 61), Nature Conservation Officers (n = 34), and referents of medical diagnostic laboratories (n = 74). Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019 8;9:146. Epub 2019 May 8.

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, United States.

, the causative agent of the zoonotic disease tularemia, is characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates in over 190 different mammalian species, including humans. Based on its low infectious dose, multiple routes of infection, and ability to induce rapid and lethal disease, has been recognized as a severe public health threat-being designated as a NIH Category A Priority Pathogen and a CDC Tier 1 Select Agent. Despite concerns over its use as a bioweapon, most U. Read More

Med Mal Infect 2019 Aug 13;49(5):318-334. Epub 2019 May 13.

Service des maladies infectieuses et réanimation médicale, hôpital Pontchaillou, CHU Pontchaillou, 35033 Rennes cedex, France. Electronic address:

Lyme borreliosis is transmitted en France by the tick Ixodes ricinus, endemic in metropolitan France. In the absence of vaccine licensed for use in humans, primary prevention mostly relies on mechanical protection (clothes covering most parts of the body) that may be completed by chemical protection (repulsives). Secondary prevention relies on early detection of ticks after exposure, and mechanical extraction. Read More

Infect Immun 2019 08 23;87(8). Epub 2019 Jul 23.

Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Inhalation of causes pneumonic tularemia in humans, a severe disease with a 30 to 60% mortality rate. The reproducible delivery of aerosolized virulent bacteria in relevant animal models is essential for evaluating medical countermeasures. Here we developed optimized protocols for infecting New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits with aerosols containing We evaluated the relative humidity, aerosol exposure technique, and bacterial culture conditions to optimize the spray factor (SF), a central metric of aerosolization. Read More

Nat Commun 2019 05 9;10(1):2121. Epub 2019 May 9.

Lydia Becker Institute for Immunology and Inflammation, Manchester, UK.

Pulmonary immune control is crucial for protection against pathogens. Here we identify a pathway that promotes host responses during pulmonary bacterial infection; the expression of CD200 receptor (CD200R), which is known to dampen pulmonary immune responses, promotes effective clearance of the lethal intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis. We show that depletion of CD200R in mice increases in vitro and in vivo infectious burden. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2019 Jul 6;84:116-120. Epub 2019 May 6.

University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.

Background: Tularemia is caused by Francisella tularensis and can occasionally establish foodborne transmission.

Methods: Patients were identified by active case detection through contact with the treating physicians and consent for publication was obtained. Clinical data were accumulated through a review of the patient charts. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019 5;9:89. Epub 2019 Apr 5.

The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.

Tularemia is an endemic zoonotic disease in many parts of the world including Asia. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine genome-based prevalence of () in soil, assess an association between its occurrence in soil and likely predictors i.e. Read More

Elife 2019 04 24;8. Epub 2019 Apr 24.

School of Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, United States.

Previously, we found that phagocytic cells ingest bacteria directly from the cytosol of infected cells without killing the initially infected cell (Steele et al., 2016). Here, we explored the events immediately following bacterial transfer. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2019 05;25(5):944-946

We examined 5 tularemia cases in Arizona, USA, during 2015-2017. All were caused by Francisella tularensis group A.II. Read More

Rev Prat 2019 Mar;69(3):336-340

UMR BIPAR, Ecole nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort, Anses, INRA, université Paris-Est, Maisons- Alfort, France.

Zoonoses related to leisure activities. Many zoonoses can be contracted by humans during recreational activities. In the context of a walk, some of them, such as Lyme disease, are transmissible by biological vectors, particularly ticks, or by aerosol (Q fever, hantavirose), whereas others can be contracted in case of aquatic activities (leptospirosis), hunting (tularaemia), and visits to pet farms or fairs (especially the hemolytic uremic syndrome). Read More

Clin Dermatol 2019 Mar - Apr;37(2):99-108. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. Electronic address:

When confronted with an existent or evolving eschar, the history is often the most important factor used to put the lesion into proper context. Determining whether the patient has a past medical history of significance, such as renal failure or diabetes mellitus, exposure to dead or live wildlife, or underwent a recent surgical procedure, can help differentiate between many etiologies of eschars. Similarly, the patient's overall clinical condition and the presence or absence of fever can allow infectious processes to be differentiated from other causes. Read More

Pediatr Rev 2019 Apr;40(4):197-201

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

J Vet Med Sci 2019 May 20;81(5):758-763. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Hyogo, Sawano 940, Aogaki-cho, Tanba, Hyogo 669-3842, Japan.

An assessment of acari (tick and mite) borne diseases was required to support development of risk management strategies in rural areas. To achieve this objective, blood samples were mainly collected from rural residents participating in hunting events. Out of 1,152 blood samples, 93 were positive against acari-borne pathogens from 12 prefectures in Japan. Read More