title: Francisella tularensis as a potential agent of bioterrorism?
abstract: Francisella tularensis is a category A bioterrorism agent. It is the etiological agent of tularemia, a zoonotic disease found throughout the northern hemisphere. The intentional spread of F. tularensis aerosols would probably lead to severe and often fatal pneumonia cases, but also secondary cases from contaminated animals and environments. We are not ready to face such a situation. No vaccine is currently available. A few antibiotics are active against F. tularensis, but strains resistant to these antibiotics could be used in the context of bioterrorism. We need new therapeutic strategies to fight against category A bioterrorism agents, including development of new drugs inhibiting F. tularensis growth and/or virulence, or enhancing the host response to infection by this pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Centre National de Référence des Francisella, Département des Agents Infectieux, Institut de Biologie et de Pathologie, CHU de Grenoble, F-38043, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maurin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023482:Bioterrorism; D005604:Francisella tularensis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D014406:Tularemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Francisella tularensis; biological threat; bioterrorism; category A bioterrorism agents; drug development; new drugs; tularemia