Volume 10, Number 3—March 2004
Dispatch
First Reported Prairie Dog–to-Human Tularemia Transmission, Texas, 2002
Swati B. Avashia*†
, Jeannine M. Petersen‡, Connie M. Lindley§, Martin E. Schriefer‡, Kenneth L. Gage‡, Marty Cetron*, Thomas A. DeMarcus*, David K. Kim*, Jan Buck§, John A. Montenieri‡, Jennifer L. Lowell‡, Michael F. Antolin¶, Michael Y. Kosoy‡, Leon G. Carter‡, May C. Chu‡, Katherine A. Hendricks†, David T. Dennis‡, and Jacob L. Kool‡
, Jeannine M. Petersen‡, Connie M. Lindley§, Martin E. Schriefer‡, Kenneth L. Gage‡, Marty Cetron*, Thomas A. DeMarcus*, David K. Kim*, Jan Buck§, John A. Montenieri‡, Jennifer L. Lowell‡, Michael F. Antolin¶, Michael Y. Kosoy‡, Leon G. Carter‡, May C. Chu‡, Katherine A. Hendricks†, David T. Dennis‡, and Jacob L. Kool‡Table 1
Diagnostic results for all animals tested in association with tularemia outbreak in prairie dogs, Texas, 2002
| Location | Species | No. animals tested | Confirmed positivea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facility A |
Prairie dogs |
163 |
61 |
| Retrieved from other Texas facilities |
Prairie dogs |
7 |
1 |
| Czech Republic |
Prairie dogs |
6 |
1 |
| Trapper facility, TX |
Prairie dogs |
8 |
0 |
| Trapper facility, SD |
Prairie dogs |
2 |
0 |
| Michigan |
Prairie dogs |
2 |
0 |
| Facility A |
Chinchilla, sugarglider, hedgehog, red squirrel, eastern chipmunk |
16 |
0 |
| Field investigation, Mellette County, SD | Prairie dogs, deer mice, white-footed mice, grasshopper mice, ground squirrel, jack rabbit, meadow vole | 90 | 0 |
aPrairie dogs were confirmed positive on recovery of an isolate with characteristic growth on cysteine heart agar with 9% chocolatized blood and positive testing of the isolate by direct fluorescent antibody or polymerase chain reaction.
