Elazig hunters in and surrounding provinces, the incidence of tularemia who dealed av mikroaglütinasyon method investigation of animals and its products

Tularemia is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a bacteria that is named Francisella tularensis. Rodent animals like rabbits, ratsand squirrels are primer sources of the disease. It is also known as `rabbit fever? or `hunters disease?. Ticks or biting flies are vectors of the disease. Tularemia is a public health problem in our country and all over the world. Hunters and people who deal with game animals and their products compose an important risk group for tularemia. The most often assay forts the diagnosis of tularemia are microagglutination, tube agglutination, latex agglutination which depend on detection of antibody in host serum. Microagglutination is hundredfold more sensitive method than tube agglutination. The antibodies appearing in agglutination are the type of IgG and IgM and both of them may stay positive up to ten years. In this study, in serums of important risk groups for tularemia such as hunters, people who are dealing with game animals and their products in Elazığ and neighboring provinces, IgG antibodies against Francisella tularensis were detected with microagglutination and were compared with control group. For this purpose 110 serum samples (60 serums from risk group, 50 serums from control group) were used. 2 out of the risk group (%3,3) were positive at 1/2560 titers. There was no antibody positivity at control group. In statistical analysis significant difference between patient and control groups were dedected in the sropositivityş according to these results the sensitivity and specifity of microagglutination in diagnosis of tularemia were %100. According to the results of this study microagglutination is aserological assay and it is the most sensitive diagnostic assay for tularemia. Also it was observed that tularemia may lead to an important public health problem in Elazığ and neighboring provinces. Keywords: The hunter, tularemia, microaglutination assay.