[Detection of Francisella tularensis by blood culture].

Francisella tularensis, from the family Francisellaceae, is the aetiological agent of a zoonosis called tularaemia, spread throughout the northern hemisphere. The infectious dose is extremely low (10 CFU/ml) and the infection causes severe diseases or even death if untreated. The transmission to humans is always related to animals, either by a direct contact or by a contact with the environment contaminated by them. Clinical symptoms of the disease can vary depending on the point of entry of the infection. Tularaemia may also occur without any local symptoms or can be manifested by a combination of the symptoms of various typical clinical forms. F. tularensis is a fastidious bacterium and it is rarely diagnosed by blood culture.