Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative coccobacilus that causes zoonotic disease tularemia. Histopathological examination of lymph node biopsy in tularemia reveals suppurative granulomatous inflammation potentially associated caseous necrosis. Diagnosis is mainly made on the evidence of elevated agglutinating antibodies against F. Tularensis. In this study we aimed to evaluate the cytological features of ulceroglandular tularemia cases and to demonstrate the role of fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of tularemia.

Fine needle aspiration cytology findings of six cervical lymphadenopaties that had established diagnoses of tularemia both clinically and serologically, were evaluated and the cytomorphological features were described.

All of the cases revealed suppurative inflammation and some caseous necrosis and in four cases epithelioid histiocytes and multinuclear giant cells were observed additionally.

The differential diagnosis of tularemia principally from tuberculosis and other types of bacterial lymphadenitis was made and the place of fine needle aspiration cytology among other diagnostic laboratory tests for tularemia was evaluated.