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34-1044: NCTC can refer to: National Content & Technology Cooperative National Collection of Type Cultures National Counter Terrorism Centre , India National Counterterrorism Center , United States National Conservation Training Center Naval Construction Training Center in Gulfport, Mississippi New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco, California NewVa Corridor Technology Council in Southwestern Virginia North County Transit District's COASTER , reporting mark NCTC North Central Texas College Northeast Counterdrug Training Center in Pennsylvania Northland Community & Technical College Topics referred to by

68-514: A hare hunt. About 27 people came into contact with contaminated blood and meat after the hunt. Ten of the exposed, aged 11 to 73, developed tularemia. One of these died due to complications caused by chronic heart disease. Tularemia is endemic in the Gori region of the Eurasian country of Georgia . The last outbreak was in 2006. The disease is also endemic on the uninhabited Pakri Islands off

102-399: A higher risk for this disease because of the potential of inhaling the bacteria during the skinning process. It has been contracted from inhaling particles from an infected rabbit ground up in a lawnmower ( see below ). Tularemia is not spread directly from person to person. Humans can also be infected through bioterrorism attempts. Francisella tularensis can live both within and outside

136-875: A potential investigative ground for aerosolised Francisella tularensis . For a time, Martha's Vineyard was identified as the only place in the world where documented cases of tularemia resulted from lawn mowing . However, in May 2015 a resident of Lafayette, Colorado , died from aerosolised F. tularensis , which was also connected to lawn mowing, highlighting this new vector of risk. An outbreak of tularemia occurred in Kosovo in 1999–2000. In 2004, three researchers at Boston Medical Center , in Massachusetts, were accidentally infected with F. tularensis , after apparently failing to follow safety procedures. In 2005, small amounts of F. tularensis were detected in

170-530: A viable biological warfare agent, and it has been included in the biological warfare programs of the United States, Soviet Union and Japan at various times. A former Soviet biological weapons scientist, Ken Alibek , has alleged that an outbreak of tularemia among German soldiers shortly before the Battle of Stalingrad was due to the release of F. tularensis by Soviet forces. Others who have studied

204-555: Is 1 to 14 days; most human infections become apparent after three to five days. In most susceptible mammals, the clinical signs include fever , lethargy, loss of appetite , signs of sepsis , and possibly death. Nonhuman mammals rarely develop the skin lesions seen in people. Subclinical infections are common, and animals often develop specific antibodies to the organism. Fever is moderate or very high, and tularemia bacilli can be isolated from blood cultures at this stage. The face and eyes redden and become inflamed. Inflammation spreads to

238-401: Is by using insect repellent , wearing long pants, rapidly removing ticks, and not disturbing dead animals. Treatment is typically with the antibiotic streptomycin . Gentamicin , doxycycline , or ciprofloxacin may also be used. Between the 1970s and 2015, around 200 cases were reported in the United States a year. Males are affected more often than females. It occurs most frequently in

272-774: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages National Collection of Type Cultures National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) is one of the four culture collections that constitutes the Culture Collections operated by the UK Health Security Agency . It is a non-profit culture collection repository located in the UK . NCTC maintains over 5100 bacterial cultures, over 100 Mycoplasmas and more than 500 plasmids, host strains, bacteriophages, and transposons. Of these, 150 strains are available from NCTC in

306-441: Is extremely rare in the United States today. In Europe, tularemia is generally rare, though outbreaks with hundreds of cases occur every few years in neighboring Finland and Sweden . In Sweden over a period from 1984 to 2012 a total of 4,830 cases of tularemia occurred (most of the infections were acquired within the country). About 1.86 cases per 100,000 persons occur each year with higher rates in those between 55 and 70. In

340-475: Is most common in the Northern Hemisphere , including North America and parts of Europe and Asia. It occurs between 30° and 71° north latitude . In the United States, although records show that tularemia was never particularly common, incidence rates continued to drop over the course of the 20th century. Between 1990 and 2000, the rate dropped to less than 1 per one million, meaning the disease

374-524: Is not normally associated with pigs at all. Precautions were recommended for those who hunt, dress, or prepare feral hogs. Since feral hogs roam over large distances, concern exists that tularemia may spread or already be present in feral hogs over a wide geographic area. In November 2011, it was found in Tasmania . Reports claimed it to be the first in the Southern Hemisphere . However,

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408-641: Is suspected not only to include the special media for appropriate isolation, but also to ensure that safety precautions are taken to avoid contamination of laboratory personnel. Serological tests (detection of antibodies in the serum of the patients) are available and widely used. Cross reactivity with Brucella can confuse interpretation of the results, so diagnosis should not rely only on serology. Molecular methods such as PCR are available in reference laboratories. There are no safe, available, approved vaccines against tularemia. However, vaccination research and development continues, with live attenuated vaccines being

442-399: Is suspected, treatment is generally with the antibiotics streptomycin or gentamicin . Doxycycline was previously used. Gentamicin may be easier to obtain than streptomycin. There is also tentative evidence to support the use of quinolone antibiotics . Since the discovery of antibiotics, the rate of death associated with tularemia has decreased from 60% to less than 4%. Tularemia

476-686: The 14th century BC , a disease believed to probably be Tularemia spread throughout the Hittite Empire , known as the Hittite plague , and its use in repelling an invasion was the first in biological warfare recorded. From May to October 2000, an outbreak of tularemia in Martha's Vineyard , Massachusetts , resulted in one fatality, and brought the interest of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as

510-611: The Medical Research Council , oversaw the founding of the collection. The first strain to be added to the collection—termed NCTC1 —was an isolate of Shigella flexneri , a causative agent of bacillary dysentery , cultured in 1915 from a man believed to have been a British soldier in the First World War. Mabel Rhodes, the first assistant curator of the NCTC, recounted that the collection's initial premises at

544-600: The National Mall area of Washington, D.C. , the morning after an antiwar demonstration on September 24, 2005. Biohazard sensors were triggered at six locations surrounding the Mall. While thousands of people were potentially exposed, no infections were reported. The detected bacteria likely originated from a natural source, not from a bioterror attempt . In 2005, an outbreak occurred in Germany amongst participants in

578-467: The United Kingdom is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tularemia The bacterium is typically spread by ticks , deer flies , or contact with infected animals. It may also be spread by drinking contaminated water or breathing in contaminated dust. It does not spread directly between people. Diagnosis is by blood tests or cultures of the infected site. Prevention

612-564: The lymph nodes , which enlarge and may suppurate (mimicking bubonic plague ). Lymph node involvement is accompanied by a high fever. Tularemia is caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis which is typically spread by ticks , deer flies , and contact with infected animals. The bacteria can penetrate into the body through damaged skin, mucous membranes, and inhalation. Humans are most often infected by tick/deer fly bite or through handling an infected animal. Ingesting infected water, soil, or food can also cause infection. Hunters are at

646-522: The 425 strain was standardized as "agent JT" (an incapacitant rather than lethal agent), the Schu S4 strain's symbol was changed again to SR. Both wet and dry types of F. tularensis (identified by the codes TT and ZZ) were examined during the "Red Cloud" tests , which took place from November 1966 to February 1967 in the Tanana Valley , Alaska. Cats and dogs can acquire the disease from

680-523: The Lister Institute "contained nothing but a telephone" and that bacteriological equipment had to be borrowed from other departments. Safety protocols at the time were poor, and during the early years of the organisation three staff members contracted tularemia . Bacterial strains were initially provided free of charge and were transported live on an agar medium. In five years' time, the collection had grown from about 200 strains acquired from

714-676: The Lister Institute to over 1500. In 1939, the NCTC moved from the Lister Institute building in Chelsea, London to a small farmhouse in Elstree, Hertfordshire ; ten years later, the collection moved to the Central Public Health Laboratory in Colindale, London , where the mass production of lyophilized cultures began. A plasmid collection was established in 1985. This article about an organisation in

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748-479: The United States, including from aquatic animals such as seals. Tularemia can also be transmitted by biting flies, particularly the deer fly Chrysops discalis . Individual flies can remain infectious for 14 days and ticks for over two years. Tularemia may also be spread by direct contact with contaminated animals or material, by ingestion of poorly cooked flesh of infected animals or contaminated water, or by inhalation of contaminated dust. In lymph node biopsies,

782-599: The causative organism was documented to have been isolated from a foot wound in the Northern Territory in 2003. In 2014, at least five cases of tularemia were reported in Colorado and at least three more cases in early 2015, including one death as a result of lawn mowing, as noted above. In the summer of 2015, a popular hiking area just north of Boulder was identified as a site of animal infection and signs were posted to warn hikers. The tularemia bacterium

816-401: The cells of the animal it infects, meaning it is a facultative intracellular bacterium . It primarily infects macrophages , a type of white blood cell , and thus is able to evade the immune system. The course of disease involves the spread of the organism to multiple organ systems, including the lungs , liver , spleen , and lymphatic system . The course of disease is different depending on

850-517: The form of bacterial DNA, supplied at 2 μg, making them suitable for whole genome sequencing amongst other molecular applications. The cultures represent bacteria from widespread geographical locations and are transported in fused-glass ampoules. The NCTC was founded in 1920 with John Charles Grant Ledingham , who was previously chief bacteriologist at the Lister Institute , serving as its first director. The Lister Institute, along with

884-437: The most thoroughly researched and most likely candidate for approval. Sub-unit vaccine candidates, such as killed-whole cell vaccines, are also under investigation, however research has not reached a state of public use. Optimal preventative practices include limiting direct exposure when handling potentially infected animals by wearing gloves and face masks (importantly when skinning deceased animals). If infection occurs or

918-737: The northern coast of Estonia . Used for bombing practice by Soviet forces, chemical and bacteriological weapons may have been dropped on these islands. In July 2007, an outbreak was reported in the Spanish autonomous region of Castile and León and traced to the plague of voles infesting the region. Another outbreak had taken place ten years before in the same area. In January 2011, researchers searching for brucellosis among feral pig populations in Texas discovered widespread tularemia infection or evidence of past infection in feral hog populations of at least two Texas counties, even though tularemia

952-578: The pathogen "propose that an outbreak resulting from natural causes is more likely". In the United States, practical research into using rabbit fever as a biological warfare agent took place in 1954 at Pine Bluff Arsenal , Arkansas , an extension of the Fort Detrick program. It was viewed as an attractive agent because: The Schu S4 strain was standardized as "Agent UL" for use in the United States M143 bursting spherical bomblet . It

986-507: The route of exposure. Mortality in untreated (before the antibiotic era) patients has been as high as 50% in the pneumoniac and typhoidal forms of the disease, which however account for less than 10% of cases. The most common way the disease is spread is via arthropod vectors . Ticks involved include Amblyomma , Dermacentor , Haemaphysalis , and Ixodes . Rodents , rabbits, and hares often serve as reservoir hosts , but waterborne infection accounts for 5–10% of all tularemia in

1020-405: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title NCTC . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NCTC&oldid=1183905602 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

1054-503: The typical histopathologic pattern is characterized by geographic areas of necrosis with neutrophils and necrotizing granulomas. The pattern is non specific and similar to other infectious lymphadenopathies. The laboratorial isolation of F. tularensis requires special media such as buffered charcoal yeast extract agar . It cannot be isolated in the routine culture media because of the need for sulfhydryl group donors (such as cysteine). The microbiologist must be informed when tularemia

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1088-521: The young and the middle aged. In the United States, most cases occur in the summer. The disease is named after Tulare County, California , where the disease was discovered in 1911. A number of other animals, such as rabbits , may also be infected. Depending on the site of infection, tularemia has six characteristic clinical variants: ulceroglandular (the most common type representing 75% of all forms), glandular, oropharyngeal, pneumonic, oculoglandular, and typhoidal. The incubation period for tularemia

1122-410: Was a lethal biological warfare agent with an anticipated fatality rate of 40–60%. The rate-of-action was around three days, with a duration-of-action of one to three weeks (treated) and two to three months (untreated), with frequent relapses. UL was streptomycin resistant. The aerobiological stability of UL was a major concern, being sensitive to sunlight, and losing virulence over time after release. When

1156-512: Was first isolated by G.W. McCoy of the United States Public Health Service plague lab and reported in 1912. Scientists determined tularemia could be dangerous to humans; a human being may catch the infection after contacting an infected animal. The ailment soon became associated with hunters, cooks and agricultural workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regard F. tularensis as

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