Features of tularemia outbreaks in Vologda region

In Vologda region the foci of tularemia are manifested most actively in the meadow-field and floodplain wetland habitats. From 1958 to 2012, 434 cultures of tularemia have been revealed, and 379 human cases have been registered. Foci of tularemia appear irregularly, but in different species of small mammals epizootics proceed constantly. The sharp increase of the number of small mammals and the spread of tularemia bacteria by the watercourses contribute to the development of intense epizootics and to the increase of tularemia cultures isolated from environmental objects. The most active natural foci of tularemia are reported in Prisuhonskaya lowland, in the Uhtomka river valley and in the floodplain of the Little Northern Dvina river. In Vologda region the maximum risk of infecting with tularemia is associated with the landscapes of limnetic-glacial type.