INTRACELLULAR PATHOGENESIS OF FRANCISELLA TULARENSIS

Summary Intracellular pathogen F. tularensis is a causative agent of tularemia disease and belongs to the most hazardeous pathogen worldwide, categorized by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA (CDC) as a category A agent. However, no safe and licensed vaccine for prevention a F. tularensis infection is available for vaccination. Tularemia is manifested by several forms depending on a route of infection and virulence of a F. tularensis strain. Essential to a development of the disease is the ability to infect, survive and proliferate inside the mononuclear phagocytes, such as macrophages or dendritic cells. Therefore, this review will discuss aspects of F. tularensis intracellular fate within host macrophages, modulate host signaling pathways to benefit Francisella infection and finally, summarize bacterial determinats involved in the process of phagosomal escape and intracellular replication.