Index to Reconn/Decon Webpages

Role of the CST

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Tracking an Aerosol Release

Reconn/Decon Module

Module Specs

Chemical Warfare

Chemical Terrorism

Chemical Response Kit

Biological Warfare

Biological Terrorism

Bio-Sampling Kit

Anthrax

Plague

Tularemia

DNA Studies

Decon Shower

Decon Solution & Foam

Tularemia as a Bioterrorist Weapon in the U.S.

Tularemia is a disease on a long list of diseases that were "weaponized" in the 20th Century for use in biological warfare. Of particular concern are aerosol releases that contaminate large areas. Precision Lift, Inc.'s contribution to the Homeland Defense effort is its Reconn/Deconn Module. This module allows the path of an aerosol cloud of tularemia droplets to be tracked days after release. Locating the infected area quickly can save lives by restricting movement in and out of the area and by defining a target population for antibiotics.

The Francisella tularensis Bacteria

A tiny, rod-shaped bacterium or coccobacillus called Francisella tularensis is responsible for the tularemia disease. The rods are 0.2 to 0.5 microns in diameter and range from 0.7 to 1.0 microns in length. (A micron is 1/1000th of a millimeter or 10^-6 meters.) By comparison the bacterium responsible for anthrax, Bacillus anthracis, can be up to 10 microns long and 2.5 microns in diameter. When viewed under the microscope, the bacteria do not move (i.e. are non-motile) and are Gram negative (i.e. do not turn blue with the Gram stain).

Tularemia: a Persistent, Widespread Disease in Rural Areas

Tularemia was recognized as a significant human illness when large water-borne outbreaks occurred in the 1930's and 1940's in Europe and the Soviet Union and occurrences in the U.S. coincided with outbreaks in the animal population. The map (courtesy of the CDC) shows the number of human cases of tularemia in each state during the period 1990 - 1998.

Large Reservoir in Rabbits, Vector in Ticks

Tularemia is almost entirely a rural disease. The Francisella tularensis bacteria is found in widely diverse animal hosts and habitats and can be recovered from contaminated water, soil, and vegetation. Natural reservoirs of the infection include voles, mice, water rats, squirrels, rabbits, and hares. The cottontail rabbit, shown on the right, is the most important host in the U.S. and many of the human cases involve rabbit hunters who clean and skin contaminated carcases.

The image on the left (courtesy of Medscape^©) shows tularemia as a skin infection. Such infections can develop when contaminated carcases are handled.

The infection is transmitted from animal to animal and also to humans by ticks, biting flies, and mosquitos. The combination of ticks (such as the female wood tick shown on the right) and rabbits is important in the U.S. Deer flies also are a significant vector.

Tularemia can contaminate standing bodies of water, such as ponds and dams, and also streams and rivers. Periodic die-offs of beaver, muskrat, and voles result from the ease with which tularemia is spread. A small number of human cases have been associated with these outbreaks, caused by handling contaminated carcasses or from tick or deerfly bites.

Inhalational Tularemia

The largest, well-documented outbreak of inhalational tularemia occurred in 1966-1967 in rural Sweden with more than 600 persons infected. Moving hay containing tularemia-infected rodent feces from the fields to the barns created aerosols which were inhaled by farm workers.

Tularemia Used as a Biological Warfare Weapon

In the summer of 1942 when the German Army was advancing through Western Russia, the Soviets released tularemia near Stalingrad, causing so many casualties that the Nazi campaign ground to a temporary halt. However, thousands of Russian soldiers and civilians living in the Volga region came down with tularemia within a week of the initial German outbreak. Many of the cases were pneumonic tularemia, evidently caused by aerosol releases of the bacteria. Spread of the disease as a water-borne infection had devastating consequences. There were about 10,000 cases of tularemia in the Soviet Union in 1941 and 1943, but nearly 100,000 cases in 1942.

Counter-Measures Against a Bioterrorist Attack That Uses Tularemia

The most effective counter-measure against a bioterrorist attack using tularemia as the agent is to prevent the attack from happening. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, there is a vigorous effort to strengthen the defenses of the country. The change in public attitude has been dramatic. Vigilance is being exercised by the average citizen in a manner unknown several years ago. On December 22, 2001 passengers overpowered a would-be suicide bomber on an American Airlines trans-Atlantic flight.

Release of a large quantity of tularemia as an aerosol with the intent to infect a large outdoor area and cause many casualties is an unlikely scenario. However, the threat deserves to be taken seriously in planning for national security. The Al-Queda Terrorist Network demonstrated its intent to use biological weapons by trying to obtain cropdusting planes in the U.S. in 2001. Plans for airborne anthrax bombs and for attacks using botulism were found in houses that had been occupied by Al-Queda leaders in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Tarnak Farms about 5 km east of the U.S. Marine Base, Camp Rhino, near Kandahar, was used by Al-Queda as a center for developing chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. Al-Queda fighters, captured in December, 2001, speak of another attack that will rival the September 11 attack.

Precision Lift, Inc. developed the Reconn/Decon Module as a quick-response module for Civil Support Teams of the National Guard (or similar units in other branches of the Armed Forces.) In the immediate aftermath of an outdoor tularemia aerosol attack, there will be a need to quickly determine the location and extent of the contaminated area. The disease is not transmitted person-to-person. What animals and where to quarantine, which insects to control, and to whom to administer antibiotics are important aspects of managing the consequences of an attack.

Tracking the Aerosol Cloud

In contrast to plague the bacteria responsible for tularemia can survive for days and weeks in vegetation, soil, and water. Sampling water, soil, and vegetation can be done quickly and efficiently using the Reconn/Decon Module equipped with the Biological Sampling Kit. A two-man crew in protective clothing uses a 6-wheel utility vehicle to move from site to site on the ground. With 6 wide tires, the utility vehicle can carry the crew to off-road locations to sample a) water in ponds, reservoirs, streams, marshes; b) soil in plowed fields and "bare spots"; and c) vegetation in wetlands, in hayfields, in meadows, in patches of weeds, and other suitable environments. Samples are placed into Zip-Loc bags and carried in sample boxes on the utility vehicle. Modern 6-wheel utility vehicles can travel at speeds up to 25 mph when moving from site to site. With helicopter support using the Heli-Basket, the utility vehicle and sampling crew are moved from area to area.

A suggested plan to survey a tularemia outbreak with unknown distribution would be a series of sampling traverses in the form of concentric circles (or arcs) around the location of known victims. Plotting the location on a map of samples that test positive for tularemia can then show where the aerosol cloud traveled and where the disease is spreading by other means, such as running water, wide-ranging carnivoires, and infected birds.

The major advantage of transporting the 2-man sampling crew in a utility vehicle is the ability to go to off-road sites such as ponds, streams, and marshes. When integrated into a comprehensive emergency response plan involving multiple agencies, the utility vehicle/helicopter-supported/Heli-Basket crew can sample off-road sites, whereas another sampling crew or crews can use cars, vans, or trucks to sample along roads. One day of intense sample collecting should provide enough data for preliminary analysis.

Sampling traverses on subsequent days can set out traps for mice, voles, rabbits, and other mammals to directly monitor the progress of the disease on the wildlife population.

Because tularemia is endemic in many areas and there are periodic severe outbreaks in the rodent population, some baseline data collected well beforehand will be very helpful in interpreting the results of a survey done during a crisis. The baseline data can be collected during routine training exercises.

Useful Links to Other Sites

CDC Website for Tularemia

Diagnosis of Tularemia

The Center for Disease Control has an on-line manual with the standard microbiological procedures for medical laboratories to analyze for tularemia.

Ticks

Introduction to ticks that cause disease in humans and animals in the U.S.

Images of ticks, biting flies, and mosquitoes can be found at the Iowa State University, Department of Entomology's website. There are images of dog ticks and deer ticks.

The distribution of dog ticks and wood ticks in the U.S. can be seen on the CDC pages for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Tularemia Used in World War II

Ken Alibek was the Deputy Director of the Soviet BioWeapons Program. His book describes the use of tularemia to temporarily halt the advance of the German Army into the Soviet Union.