Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of which disease?

• A. Bacillus Anthracis
• B. Yersinia Pestis
• C. Francisella Tularensis
• D. Clostridium Botulinum

Answer: (C)

Understanding which disease a pathogen causes is about linking the organism to the clinical syndrome it produces. Francisella tularensis is the bacterium responsible for tularemia, a zoonotic infection that can be transmitted by ticks and other biting insects or by handling infected wildlife. It’s highly infectious and can present in several forms, such as ulceroglandular or pneumonic tularemia, depending on how exposure occurs. The other organisms are tied to different diseases: Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax, Yersinia pestis causes plague, and Clostridium botulinum causes botulism. So, the disease caused by Francisella tularensis is tularemia.