Tularemia during pregnancy

Tularemia is a zoonotic infection caused by Francisella tularensis with a worldwide distribution and diverse clinical manifestations. Although F. tularensis has been recognized as a human pathogen for a century, there are few reports regarding the occurrence of tularemia in pregnant women and its effect on the fetus; only seven cases have been reported in the literature. In view of the sparse literature, it is not clear whether tularemia increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. In this paper we review tularemia infection during pregnancy, its complications and management. In addition, we present a case of tularemia that occurred in the first trimester of pregnancy and resulted in third-trimester intrauterine fetal death, highlighting the consequences of tularemia in pregnancy and the importance of early detection and treatment. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.