title: About three cases of ulceroglandular tularemia, is this the re-emergence of Francisella tularensis in Belgium?
abstract: Tularemia is a zoonosis caused by Francisella tularensis that can be transmitted by several ways to human being and cause different clinical manifestations. We report three clinical cases of tularemia with ulceroglandular presentation in young males acquired during outdoor activities in Southern Belgium. Confirmation of the diagnosis was established by serology. Only three cases of tularemia have been reported in Belgium between 1950 and 2012 by the National Reference Laboratory CODA-CERVA (Ref Lab CODA-CERVA) but re-emergence of tularemia is established in several European countries and F. tularensis is also well known to be present in animal reservoirs and vectors in Belgium. The diagnosis of tularemia has to be considered in case of suggestive clinical presentation associated with epidemiological risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Eeckhoudt
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Thissen
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ausselet
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fretin
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stefanescu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Glupczynski
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Delaere
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium; D005604:Francisella tularensis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology*; D014406:Tularemia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015047:Zoonoses
keywords: Belgium; Francisella tularensis; Tularemia; Zoonosis