Investigation the seroprevalence of tularemia in Diyarbakir

Tularemia is a zoonosis caused by Francisella tularensis which is a small, still, and gram-negative aerobic coccobacillus . It can be seen as endemic in countries between 30-71 latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. After the first epidemic in Lüleburgaz statement in 1936, there have been many outbreaks in Turkey. In our research, we aimed to find the seroprevalence of tularemia in our region. 1503 people from Diyarbakir and neighboring provinces were included in the study. The sera of them were screened for tularemia by Microagglutination method with a dilution of 1/20. The positive sera were studied by Rose-Bengal slide agglutination test to determine the cross-reaction with Brucellosis. Screen test positive and Rose-Bengal test negative 19 sera were determined by titration. In our study, there was no significant difference between men and women (p = 0.108). There was not a significant difference between age groups (p = 0.053). We found tularemia seroprevalence as 1.3% in our region. This rate is similar to some other studies in Turkey. More extensive studies will enable the acquisition of more epidemiological data.