Epidemiological Investigation of Francisella tularensis Transmitted by Rabbits and Ticks in Some Provinces of China

The aim of this investigation was to find out the prevalence of Francesella tularensis in some provinces of China. Using the general and subspecies PCR detection method for Francesella tularensis established in our laboratory, PCR detection of Francesella tularensis in rabbits and ticks was carried out in provinces with high-density rabbits feeding and some provinces and cities with sheep and cattle stock. The results showed that DNA detection of Francesella tularensis from rabbit tissues and ticks carried by cattle and sheep was positive. 12 out of 218 rabbit samples were positive (5.5% positive rate), and 15 tick samples were positive (3.1%) of 490 tick samples. In terms of geographical distribution, most of the positive rabbit samples were from Shandong, Henan and Sichuan province, however, ticks collected from Yunnan and Shandong province showed a higher positive rate. PCR detection showed that Francesella tularensis subspecies in this investigation was F.h, which was a subspecies with strong toxicity. This investigation revealed that Francesella tularensis presented in rabbits and ticks, public health and safety risks of Francesella tularensis existed in Shandong and Yunnan province, which should be paid more attention by the relevant scientific research institutions, medical institutions and government departments.