Investigation on Tularemia in potential reservoirs' of Anatolia.

Tularemia is a zoonotic infection caused by Francisella tularensis and has gained renewed importance since there has been a recent increase in the number of human cases in several countries across the world. In this study the existence of F. tularensis in rodents and in water was investigated by culture and PCR techniques. Also, F. tularensis specific antibodies were investigated by serological methods in sheep. At the end of the study, F. tularensis was isolated from one water sample by culture and PCR techniques, on the other hand, 27.6% seropositivity was detected in the blood samples of sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]