First European detection and genomic analysis of <i>Francisella tularensis</i> subsp. <i>tularensis</i> in a traveler returning from Canada

Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by the gram negative coccobacillus <i>Francisella tularensis,</i> a Biosafety Level 3 pathogen and potential bioterrorism agent. We report here the first European human case of tularemia caused by <i>F. tularensis</i> subsp. <i>tularensis</i> in a patient returning from Canada to Switzerland. Successful culture and genomic characterisation revealed that the isolate belongs to the A.I lineage of <i>F. tularensis</i> subsp. <i>tularensis</i>, and clusters with strains from Canada and Alaska. This work underscores the importance of rapid diagnostics combined with genomic analysis and molecular characterization for detecting non-endemic pathogens and evaluating potential bioterrorism threats.