Context
Francisella tularensis is a bacterium responsible for the zoonotic disease tularemia. It has been classified as a class A potential biological threat agent by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention because of its low infectious dose, high virulence, and ability to spread through aerosols. Among the four subspecies of F. tularensis, two are associated with human tularemia cases: F. tularensis subsp tularensis (type A strains) and F. tularensis subsp holartica (type B strains). Monitoring the presence of Francisella tularensis in clinical and environmental samples is crucial for both medical and biological threat surveillance purposes. The Biotoxis qPCR kit (Bertin Bioreagent, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France) is a plate format, Taqman probe-based qPCR kit designed to rapidly detect B. anthracis, Y. pestis, and F. tularensis DNA in various types of samples. Here, a group of researchers from the French National Reference Center for Francisella (French NRCF), Grenoble Alpes University, and Université Paris Saclay has evaluated the performance of the Biotoxis qPCR kit for the identification and detection of F. tularensis in DNA extracts from bacterial strains, clinical samples, and environmental water samples. The results were compared with reference qPCR tests validated and used routinely at the French NRCF.
