A new case of tularemia in a hare from Friesland

A hare submitted to the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre (DWHC) for post-mortem investigation was suspected of having tularemia based on changes seen in the tissues under the microscope. Infection with Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, was confirmed by molecular testing performed at the Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) in Lelystad.

This hare was found dead in the south-west of the Dutch province of Friesland, only 10-25 km west of the site where the first case of tularemia in 2015 was identified and where subsequently, and outbreak, with 10 other positive cadavers, occurred (February – May 2015). In addition in 2015, three individual cases of tularemia were confirmed in hares submitted from south-west Friesland (February), Overijssel (March) and Gelderland (June).