Diverse Francisella Tularensis Strains And Oropharyngeal Tularemia, Turkey

To the Editor: Tularemia is a zoonosis caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis; the main forms of disease that occur in humans are ulceroglandular/glandular, oculoglandular, oropharyngeal, and respiratory. In Turkey, tularemia outbreaks were described as early as 1936–1938 (1), but tularemia was not reportable until 2004. Recently, multiple tularemia outbreaks in Turkey have been described, including in regions where the disease has not been previously reported; it is now considered a reemerging zoonotic disease in Turkey (1).