Outbreak of Tularemia in a Group of Hunters in Germany in 2018—Kinetics of Antibody and Cytokine Responses

Autor: Daniela Jacob, Anne Barduhn, Dennis Tappe, Jessica Rauch, Klaus Heuner, Daniela Hierhammer, Katharina vom Berge, Julia M. Riehm, Matthias Hanczaruk, Stefanie Böhm, Merle M. Böhmer, Regina Konrad, Berit Bouschery, Marc Dauer, Elisabeth Schichtl, Hamid Hossain, Roland Grunow
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Microorganisms, Vol 8, Iss 11, p 1645 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2076-2607
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8111645
Popis: In November 2018, an outbreak of tularemia occurred among hare hunters in Bavaria, Germany. At least one infected hare was confirmed as the source of infection. A number of hunting dogs showed elevated antibody titers to Francisella tularensis, but the absence of titer increases in subsequent samples did not point to acute infections in dogs. Altogether, 12 persons associated with this hare hunt could be diagnosed with acute tularemia by detection of specific antibodies. In nine patients, the antibody and cytokine responses could be monitored over time. Eight out of these nine patients had developed detectable antibodies three weeks after exposure; in one individual the antibody response was delayed. All patients showed an increase in various cytokines and chemokines with a peak for most mediators in the first week after exposure. Cytokine levels showed individual variations, with high and low responders. The kinetics of seroconversion has implications on serological diagnoses of tularemia.
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