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Biological Hazards
Published in W. David Yates, Safety Professional’s Reference and Study Guide, 2020
Tularemia is a disease of animals and humans caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. Rabbits, hares, and rodents are especially susceptible and often die in large numbers during outbreaks. Humans can become infected through several routes, including tick and deer fly bites, skin contact with infected animals, ingestion of contaminated water, or inhalation of contaminated dusts or aerosols. In addition, humans could be exposed as a result of bioterrorism. Symptoms vary depending upon the route of infection. Although tularemia can be life-threatening, most infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics. Steps to prevent tularemia include the use of insect repellent, wearing gloves when handling sick or dead animals, and not mowing over dead animals. In the United States, naturally occurring infections have been reported from all states except Hawaii.7 Primary occupations at risk include forestry workers, butchers, and meat plant operators.
Healthcare Environment and Infection Control
Published in Herman Koren, Best Practices for Environmental Health, 2017
Tularemia is a bacterial zoonosis caused by the microorganism Francisella tularensis. The disease can be caught by the bite of an infected tick, deer fly, or other insects, working with infected animal carcasses, eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or breathing in the bacteria especially from an aerosol. It is not spread person to person. It can be fatal if not treated rapidly with antibiotics. Airborne release of the organisms can cause primarily pleuropneumonitis and also possibly ocular tularemia. It can penetrate broken skin and cause glandular disease. People usually become infected 3–5 days after exposure and develop a variety of symptoms including hemorrhagic inflammation of the airways, life-threatening bronchopneumonia, fever, chills, progressive weakness, sore throat, and systemic infection. Since the organism which causes tularemia is highly infectious, a small number of bacteria will cause the disease. The bacteria are widely present in nature and therefore readily accessible. Therefore, it might make an excellent bioweapon used as an infectious aerosol.
Biological Hazards
Published in W. David Yates, Safety Professional’s, 2015
Tularemia is a disease of animals and humans caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. Rabbits, hares, and rodents are especially susceptible and often die in large numbers during outbreaks. Humans can become infected through several routes, including tick and deer fly bites, skin contact with infected animals, ingestion of contaminated water, or inhalation of contaminated dusts or aerosols. In addition, humans could be exposed as a result of bioterrorism. Symptoms vary depending upon the route of infection. Although tularemia can be life threatening, most infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics. Steps to prevent tularemia include use of insect repellent, wearing gloves when handling sick or dead animals, and not mowing over dead animals. In the United States, naturally occurring infections have been reported from all states except Hawaii.7 Primary occupations at risk include forestry workers, butchers, and meat plant operators.
Navy Metrology and Applications of Biosensors
Published in NCSLI Measure, 2018
Subrata Sanyal, Dylan Shackelford
The biological agents that are released in a biological attack are categorized into two types: pathogens and toxins. The difference between the two is that a pathogen is a living organism, whereas a toxin is an inert by-product of a living organism. Pathogens include bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, and fungi. They are either naturally occurring or altered by genetic mutation for a desired goal. Toxins are just as deadly as pathogens, being produced by the metabolic activities of living organisms. Classical biological agents include anthrax, botulinum toxin, smallpox, tularemia, Q fever, ricin, viral hemorrhagic fevers, and the plague [7]. Biological agents fall into five main categories [8]:BacteriaRickettsiaViral agentsFungiToxins of biological origins.