Abstract

OBJECTIVE

Tularemia is a zoonotic infectious disease which is caused by Francisella tularensis. In recent years, the changes in the population and distribution of reservoir and vector in parallel to the climatic changes and inclusion of Tularemia in the list of diseases whose notification are compulsory since 2005 caused an increasing number of cases reported from different regions. As a result, it is understood that F. Tularensis is endemic in Turkey. In that study,13 children with tularemia are presented. The aim of the study is to determine the effects of elapsed time between the onset of symptoms and the admission to the hospital on prognosis.

METHODS

Thirteen patients diagnosed with tularemia in Children Infection Polyclinic between the years of 2009 and 2011 were taken to the study. They were diagnosed by microagglutination test. The titers of 1/160 and more were accepted as positive.

RESULTS

Six patients were female. The median age was 10 year(6-14). The most common compliances of patients were swellings of the neck and armpits, sore throat and fever. Streptomycin (30 mg/kg/day) was used for 11 patients and gentamicin (5 mg/kg/day) for 1 patients. The median treatment period was 14 days(7-20) for 5 patients who are admitted to the hospital within 7 days and no complications occured. The median treatment period is calculated as 39 days(24-60) for 8 patients who are admitted to the hospital after 14 days.

CONCLUSION

The treatment period was short for the patients admitted to the hospital within 7 days after the beginning of complaints and the complications did not occur for them. Therefore, when faced with patients who are required distinctive diagnosis of tonsillopharyngitis or lymphadenopathy, the history of living in endemic regions or not and travelling to those regions should be taken and in the case of Tularemia doubt, the treatment should be applied immediately.