Francisella tularensis as the cause of protracted fever

Abstract

Tularemia, a re-emerging, potential life threatening infectious disease, can present itself with nonspecific clinical symptoms including fever, chills and malaise. Taking a detailed history of exposure and a highly raised index of clinical suspicion are necessary to take the appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic steps in this setting. Here, a case report of typhoid tularaemia is presented. A 53-year old male forester and farmer with protracted fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and loss of weight, who experienced productive cough and a pulmonary infiltrate later in the course of disease, was admitted for further investigation. Tularaemia was suspected only owing to history and confirmed by serologic testing more than three weeks after the beginning of the symptoms. The initial antibiotic therapy with ceftriaxone/doxycycline was switched to ciprofloxacin, resulting in the resolution of fever and symptoms. Tularaemia has to be considered as a differential diagnosis in febrile patients, even more in cases with protracted fever. Since tularaemia is expanding geographically, involving more animal hosts and causing larger outbreaks, clinicians have to be aware of this potentially fatal disease.