Fig 7. A schematic diagram shows the model for pathogenesis of lethal pulmonary tularemia in mice.

Ft elicits an overt inflammatory change by recruitment of a large proportion of IMC/MDSC to lungs and spleen, where these cells die and likely drive irreversible necrotic tissue damage and multi-organ dysfunction leading to host death. Later, Ft-elicited myelopoietic response appears to exhaust production of myeloid cells by the BM and spleen leading to failure of immune response to control Ft replication.