TY - JOUR AU - Ariza-Miguel, Jaime AU - Johansson, Anders AU - Fernández-Natal, María Isabel AU - Martínez-Nistal, Carmen AU - Orduña, Antonio AU - Rodríguez-Ferri, Elías AU - Hernández, Marta AU - Rodríguez-Lázaro, David T1 - Molecular Investigation of Tularemia Outbreaks, Spain, 1997–2008 T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2014 VL - 20 IS - 5 SP - 754 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Tularemia outbreaks occurred in northwestern Spain in 1997–1998 and 2007–2008 and affected >1,000 persons. We assessed isolates involved in these outbreaks by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis with 2 restriction enzymes and multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis of 16 genomic loci of Francisella tularensis, the cause of this disease. Isolates were divided into 3 pulsotypes by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and 8 allelic profiles by multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis. Isolates obtained from the second tularemia outbreak had the same genotypes as isolates obtained from the first outbreak. Both outbreaks were caused by genotypes of genetic subclade B.Br:FTNF002–00, which is widely distributed in countries in central and western Europe. Thus, reemergence of tularemia in Spain was not caused by the reintroduction of exotic strains, but probably by persistence of local reservoirs of infection. KW - tularemia KW - Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica KW - bacteria KW - pulsed-field gel electrophoresis KW - variable number tandem repeat loci KW - outbreaks KW - genotyping KW - molecular investigation KW - phylogenetics KW - zoonoses KW - Spain DO - 10.3201/eid2005.130654 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/20/5/13-0654_article ER - End of Reference