title: Spatio-temporal dynamics of tularemia in French wildlife: 2002-2013.
abstract: Tularemia, caused by Francisella tularensis, is endemic in France. The surveillance of this disease in wildlife is operated by the SAGIR Network and by the National Reference Laboratory for Tularemia. Wild animals found dead or dying collected by the SAGIR network are necropsied and when tularemia is suspected culture and/or PCR are performed to confirm the diagnosis. The aim of this study was to present the results of tularemia surveillance in wildlife and to investigate the spatial and temporal pattern of tularemia observed between the 2002-2003 and 2012-2013 hunting seasons in French wildlife. Fourty-one to 121 cases were collected each hunting season for a total of 693 confirmed cases and 46 additional suspected cases. The main species affected was the European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) but 4 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), 2 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and one wild boar (Sus scrofa) were also found positive. The Standard Mortality Ratio was mapped and Kulldorff's retrospective space-time scan statistic was implemented and allowed the detection of several clusters: the nationwide outbreak of 2007-2008; 2 clusters in northern and central-western France in high hare-abundance areas and another in North-eastern France where the abundance of hares is low. Our results confirm the usefulness of brown hare as a sentinel of environmental risk.
authors.affiliation: Anses, Laboratoire Rage et Faune Sauvage de Nancy, Unité Surveillance et Eco-Epidémiologie des Animaux Sauvages, Technopôle Agricole et Vétérinaire - Bâtiment H, Domaine de Pixérécourt, CS 40009, 54220 Malzéville, France. Electronic address: marie.moinet@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moinet
authors.affiliation: Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Auffargis, France.
authors.forename: Anouk
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Decors
authors.affiliation: University Paris Est, Anses, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Unité Zoonoses Bactériennes, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mendy
authors.affiliation: Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Faure
authors.affiliation: University Paris Est, Anses, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Unité Epidémiologie, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.affiliation: University Paris Est, Anses, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Unité Zoonoses Bactériennes, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Madani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003670:Deer / Q000382:microbiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005604:Francisella tularensis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D034621:Hares / Q000382:microbiology*; D008377:Maps as Topic; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011817:Rabbits; D012621:Seasons; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000382:microbiology; D014406:Tularemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Lepus europaeus; Spatial epidemiology; Surveillance; Tularemia; Zoonosis