Inoculation expérimentale de Francisella tularensis à certains carnivores et oiseaux Déductions épidémiologiques

Buzzard, Hen, Foxes, European Polecat, Weasel, Furrels and Cats infected by the oral and parental routes with a virulent strain of Francisella tularensis showed to be resistant to this disease. Sporadic isolations of F. tularensis were made from the feces and pellets of different animals after they had eaten infected mice or guinea pigs. This discontinuous elimination can be considered as a possible risk for the spreading of the infection. The search of F. tularensis in feces and pellets could be applied as an indirect method to detect a tularaemia enzooty among wild rodents.