Tularemia in the Southeastern Swiss Alps at 1,700 m above sea level.

Ernst, M; Pilo, Paola; Fleisch, F; Glisenti, P (2015). Tularemia in the Southeastern Swiss Alps at 1,700 m above sea level. Infection, 43(1), pp. 111-115. Springer-Medizin-Verlag 10.1007/s15010-014-0676-3

[img]
Preview
Text
art%3A10.1007%2Fs15010-014-0676-3.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Publisher holds Copyright.

Download (378kB) | Preview

A 37-year-old man presented with a 4-day history of nonbloody diarrhea, fever, chills, productive cough, vomiting, and more recent sore throat. He worked for the municipality in a village in the Swiss Alps near St. Moritz. Examination showed fever (40 °C), hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnea, decreased oxygen saturation (90 % at room air), and bibasilar crackles and wheezing. Chest radiography and computed tomography scan showed an infiltrate in the left upper lung lobe. He responded to empiric therapy with imipenem for 5 days. After the imipenem was stopped, the bacteriology laboratory reported that 2/2 blood cultures showed growth of Francisella tularensis. He had recurrence of fever and diarrhea. He was treated with ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily, oral, for 14 days) and symptoms resolved. Further testing confirmed that the isolate was F. tularensis (subspecies holarctica) belonging to the subclade B.FTNF002-00 (Western European cluster). This case may alert physicians that tularemia may occur in high-altitude regions such as the Swiss Alps.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Research Foci > Host-Pathogen Interaction
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP)
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP) > Institute of Veterinary Bacteriology

UniBE Contributor:

Pilo, Paola

Subjects:

600 Technology > 630 Agriculture

ISSN:

0300-8126

Publisher:

Springer-Medizin-Verlag

Language:

English

Submitter:

Barbara Gautschi-Steffen

Date Deposited:

29 Mar 2016 13:50

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:53

Publisher DOI:

10.1007/s15010-014-0676-3

PubMed ID:

25143191

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.77807

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/77807

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback