[The occurrence of infections caused by Francisella tularensis in humans in Poland and laboratory diagnosis of tularemia].

Tularemia is a serious infectious zoonotic disease, caused by Gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis. Natural reservoir of infection are small mammals such a mice, voles, squirrels and rabbits. Transmission to humans occurs through contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, or through arthropod vectors. Because of its extreme infectivity it is a dangerous biological agent to human health. Tularemia has a broad geographical distribution, however is mainly in the northern hemisphere, in areas with cooler climates particularly in North America, Europe, Russia and Japan. Most of the cases among European countries have been reported in the Scandinavian region. The prevalence rate of tularemia in Poland is small, although in recent years stable increase has been observed. According to official epidemiological data during the years 2010-2016 only 61 cases of tularemia were reported in Poland. A laboratory diagnosis of tularemia is based on serological investigation, classical microbiology and molecular biology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of infections caused by Francisella tularensis in humans in Poland and present characteristics of laboratory diagnosis of tularemia.