First European report of Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica isolation from a domestic cat
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First European report of Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica isolation from a domestic cat Sonja Kittl1* , Thierry Francey2, Isabelle Brodard1, Francesco C. Origgi3, Stéphanie Borel3, Marie‑Pierre Ryser‑Degiorgis3, Ariane Schweighauser2 and Joerg Jores1
Abstract Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica is a select agent causing life-threatening tularemia. It has been isolated from humans and animals, mainly lagomorphs and rodents, rarely other wild carnivore species. Increasing numbers of human tularemia cases have been reported during the last 5 years in Switzerland. Here we report the first isolation of Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica from a domestic cat in Europe and compare its genome sequence with other Swiss isolates. The cat isolate shows a close phylogenetic relationship with a contemporary hare isolate from close geographic proximity, indicating a possible epidemiological link. Keywords: bacteriuria, cat, feline, Switzerland, tularemia, zoonosis Introduction, methods and results Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis, which comprises the four subspecies tularensis, holarctica, novicida and mediasiatica. The most virulent subspecies are tularensis and holarctica, which have been reported from North America and the whole Northern hemisphere, respectively [1]. The bacterium has a broad host range including different vertebrate groups as well as invertebrates [2]. Transmission occurs via inhalation of infected droplets, contact with infected animals, bites of arthropod vectors or oral uptake [3]. The isolation of the tularemia agent from European carnivores is restricted to isolated cases in free ranging wildlife. Reported cases include a stone marten in Switzerland (2012) [4], a raccoon dog (2012) and a red fox (2008) in Germany [5]. Regarding domestic carnivores, tularemia sporadically occurs in cats in North America where it is almost exclusively caused by subspecies tularensis [6]. In North America, disease occurrence in cats is considered an important factor for humans to contract tularemia [6]. *Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Here we describe the unexpected isolation of F. tularensis subsp. holarctica from the urine of a domestic cat in Switzerland and compare the isolate to contemporary isolates from Swiss hares as well as previously published Swiss isolates [7] from wildlife, humans and ticks. In March 2019, a 9 year-old male neutered outdoor cat was presented to the Small Animal Clinic of the University of Bern (SAC) for the routine 3-monthly maintenance flush of his bilateral subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUB) placed 4 years ago. All cultures performed on previous rechecks had been negative. The owners reported no abnormalities and the clinical exam was unremarkable except for a reduced body condition score of 3/9 and a weight loss of 430 g over 3
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