Great Basin Naturalist Volume 39 Number 2 Article 1 6-30-1979 Review of tularemia in Utah and the Great Basin Harold E. Stark Environmental and Ecology Branch, U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Dugway, Utah Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Stark, Harold E. (1979) "Review of tularemia in Utah and the Great Basin," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 39 : No. 2 , Article 1. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol39/iss2/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. The Great Basin Naturalist Published at Provo, Utah, by Brigham Young University ISSN 0017-3614 Volume 39 June 30, 1979 No. 2 REVIEW OF TULAREMIA IN UTAH AND THE GREAT BASIN Harold E. Stark' Abstract.— This is a compilation of tularemia research conducted in Utah, particularly at U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground (DPG), Utah, and an evaluation of this information in relation to the current status of tularemia studies. A brief history of tularemia in Utah and a review of field and laboratory studies are included. Human cases of tularemia occur throughout Utah during all seasons of the year. An analysis of recent human disease reveals a concentration of cases in rural areas, with a greater seasonal occurrence in late summer and early fall. Research on tularemia as a zoonotic in- tularemia in recent years; Jellison and Parker fection in and around the U.S. Army Dugway (1945), Bell (1965), Olsuf'yev and Rodnev Proving Ground (DPG), Utah, has established (I960), Hopla (1974), and Olsen (1975) are the existence of natural foci of infection, cy- examples. In addition, several bibliographies cles of activity, and probable reservoir hosts have been compiled, e.g.: the U.S. Army and vectors. In addition, studies have been Chemical Corps (1958), Hoogstraal et al. directed toward determination of survival (1970-1972), and Pollitzer (1967). Cox (1964), times of the organism as aerosols and as con- at Brigham Young University, prepared a taminants on surfaces in the laboratory and in "Bibliography of Tularemia" with references nature under varying field conditions. Field arranged by subject matter, similar to the one and laboratory work also have been con- published by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. ducted at Brigham Young University and the Jellison was author (1950) and coauthor University of Utah; several species of deer fly (1945, 1951, 1956), of specific and general ar- (Chrysops spp.) were found infected in na- ticles on tularemia (many of them on tula- ture. remia in Utah), and he prepared a current re- view and bibliography on tularemia (1974). Human tularemia is commonly a rural dis- Much of the information given here is a re- ease, probably with an eight-year cyclic ten- view of large quantities of data from DPG re- dency in Utah. It is transmissible to man ports and records not ordinarily available to through direct contact with the host, con- the scientific community. Since the data are tamination of water and food, vectors, in- voluminous, not all can be analyzed; many halation of dust as from tick feces while DPG reports and articles are referenced for shearing sheep, and, uniquely in the Great further analysis (if desired) by the reader. Basin, by the bite of deer flies. Other portions of this work constitute a liter- There have been several review articles on ature survey. 'Environmental and Ecology Branch, U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, Dugway, Utah ! 103 104 Great Basin Naturalist Vol. 39, No. 2 History ance and display varying pathogenesis. Bio- chemical reactions (glycerine fermentation The etiologic agent of tularemia, Franci- and the presence or absence of citruUine sella tularensis, was not identified until this ureidase) have been related to virulence century (McCoy 1911, McCoy and Chapin (Marchette and Nicholes 1961). Some strains have ap- 1912). However, tularemia may resist streptomycin. Eigelsbach, Braun, and in rural Utah. pared earlier among humans Herring (1951), Skrodsky (1966), and Domin- physician, Pearse (1911), a Brigham City owska (1967) observed a correlation between studied six human cases of an imknown dis- the colonial morphology and the pathogeni- ease which occurred in August 1908 in the city and immunogenic properties of a given area. It is believed Brigham City-Tremonton isolate. to be the first clinical description of tula- Based on virulence, chemical reactions, remia in the English language. Pearse left the morphology, geographic origin, epizootiol- disease unnamed. Later medical accounts re- ogy, epidemiology, vectors, reservoirs, associ- viewing epidemiologic and clinical aspects of ation of different habitats, and modes of the disease assumed deer fly bites were asso- transmission, two basic subspecies of tula- ciated with it, although no infected insects remia have gained recognition. These are were captured or identified. commonly referred to as types A and B (Bell Francis, another physician, first isolated F. 1965). Subspecific designations also have tularensis from wild mammals and their ecto- been made referring to types A and B. The parasites in detailed 1919 and conducted less virulent of the two is palaearctica (Type studies near Holden in the Delta area of Mil- B) and is more frequently associated with ag- lard County (Francis 1921, 1927). Before ricultural areas and lotic waters, and may be ' referred the disease as "Pahvant 1920 he to maintained by chronic tularemia nephritis in Valley plague" and "deer fly fever." Later muskrats, beavers, and voles. Voles may be established the tula- (1921) he and used name the primary reservoir in some areas in west- remia for the disease. Simpson (1929) wrote a ern North America. Chronically infected ver- textbook on medical aspects of the disease, tebrates urinate onto watersheds, sometimes assembling knowledge to that time. He asso- causing widespread and protracted human the cases in largely with deer fly ciated Utah epidemics (Bell and Stewart 1975). bites. Human infection with palaearctica has oc- curred during threshing operations in the Etiologic Agent USSR. Possible similar occurrence of human tularemia in the Great Basin is discussed later Francisella is distinctive and only distantly imder tularemia in soils. Another proposed related to other bacterial organisms. Buchan- name, holarctica, for Type B, implies that an and Gibbons (1974) gave no hierarchical this type occurrs throughout all land masses arrangement for it. The genus is placed with of the Northern Hemisphere. Though holarc- Brucella, to which it is not closely related," in tica is less restrictive in concept, palaearctica a group of genera of uncertain affiliation en- has taxonomic priority. Francisella t. tula- titled "Gram-negative aerobic rods and coc- rensis (Type A, also designated F. t. nearc- ci." There has been no general compilation tica) is more virulent and is frequently associ- of strains published to date, although there ated with infection in lagomorphs (hares and are significant differences in levels of viru- rabbits) and nonaquatic (xeric or mesic) ro- lence among strains of F. tularensis. Yet viru- dents, more frequently involves human cases lence alone does not provide a basis for clas- contracted during hunting, and is often asso- sification, because under laboratory culture ciated with vectorborne transmission than is and storage it can change. Different labora- palaearctica (Bell 1965). tory hosts express different levels of resist- Besides the currently recognized sub- 'There is some serologic cross reaction between F. tularensis and Brucella (Hopla 1974, Quan 1978). June 1979 Stark: Review of Utah Tularemia 105 species, two additional nomenclatural desig- Hamilton, Montana, preserves numerous nations have been proposed, }aponica (Ro- strains by lyophylization, but effort is not de- dianova 1967) (for Japanese isolates) and voted to identification and cataloging; it is mediasiatica (Aikimbaev 1966) (for a central more convenient to obtain fresh material Asian strain). Aikimbaev (1966) and Olsul'yev from nature for ongoing research. (1970) regard the latter as primitive. Aikim- Storage and preservation or cultivation (es- baev proposed subspecific status for media- pecially in egg yolk) in the laboratory reduc- siatica. Taxonomic status has not been eval- es virulence of the organism (Owen 1970). uated for either of these two names. Green (1943) increased virulence of unnamed The tularemia organism in nature is ubiq- strains of F. tularensis by passage through uitous, but simultaneously demonstrates cottontail rabbits and hares. On the other ubiety with regard to strain differentiation. hand, he contended that passage through Numerous strains have been recognized. grouse reduced virulence. Owen et al. (1961) These often have been designated with num- failed to enhance the virulence of F. tula- bers or initials. At DPG, nine strains are rensis by experimentally passing strains maintained and studied: Jap 4, Ohara, Live through hosts or ectoparasites. Some strains Vaccine, S. C, Russ, Max, 38, 38A, and Schu have considerable vitality for sustaining their 5. Similar groups have been kept at several characteristics. There are great variations of educational institutions, the U.S. Public virulence in strains isolated in nature. Older Health