Bioterrorism Preparedness for Sentinel Laboratories

Francisella tularensis — Gram Stain

• Tiny, pleomorphic, poorly staining gram-negative coccobacillus (0.2 to 0.5 by 0.7 to 1.0 microns). In clinical specimens, these forms can be found intracellularly.
• Seen mostly as single cells.
• Bipolar staining is not a distinctive feature.