An infection in rabbits and other wild rodents caused by
the bacterium Francisella tularensis that can be transmitted to humans by contact
with infected animal tissues or ticks. Also called tularemia.
The main mode of transmission to humans is tick bites in the summer and exposure
to rabbits in the fall and winter during the small-game hunting season. The domestic
rabbit is the main source of serious infection. Transmission may be by direct contact,
contact with aerosolized bacteria, eating infected tissue or by the bite of a colonized
tick, deerfly, or flea that has fed on a sick rabbit.
Symptoms include a red spot on the skin enlarging to an ulcer, enlarged lymph
nodes (swollen glands) in the groin or armpits, headache, muscle pain, shortness
of breath, fever, chills, sweating, weight loss, and joint stiffness. Some people
develop an atypical pneumonia. The illness may continue for several weeks after
the onset of symptoms.
The antibiotics streptomycin and tetracycline are commonly used to treat tularemia.
(Oral tetracycline is usually not prescribed for children until after all the permanent
teeth have erupted. It can permanently discolor teeth that are still forming.)
A vaccine is available for people at high risk (trappers, hunters, and laboratory
workers) to prevent the disease.
Tularemia is fatal in about 5% of untreated cases, and in less than 1% of treated
cases. Possible complications include meningitis, pneumonia, pericarditis and osteomyelitis.
Tularemia has declined in frequency in the US, probably because wild rabbits
are no longer available in markets and also because of increased awareness among
hunters of the risks posed by sick rabbits.
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