Tularemia
- What is tularemia?
- Who gets tularemia?
- How is tularemia spread?
- What are the symptoms of tularemia?
- How soon do the symptoms appear?
- What is the treatment for tularemia?
- Does past infection with tularemia make a person immune?
- What can be done to prevent the spread of tularemia?
What is tularemia?
Tularemia, also known as rabbit fever or deerfly fever, is an infectious disease cause by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. Although the disease is found naturally in many wild animals (e.g., rabbits, squirrels, muskrats) as well as insects that feed on these animals (ticks and deerflies), the rabbit is the species most often involved in human outbreaks.
In the United States, most cases occur between May and August, but cases are reported throughout the year. In 1968, North America’s largest outbreak of tularemia linked to human contact with aquatic animals occurred in Vermont. Forty-seven cases were diagnosed in persons who had trapped or handled muskrats within a four-week period in Addison County. No cases have been reported in Vermont since 2000 when tularemia was reinstated on the nationally notifiable disease list.
Who gets tularemia?
Anyone who spends time outdoors in areas where infected animals or insects are found can get tularemia. Rabbit hunters and trappers are at a greater risk for exposure to this disease.
How is tularemia spread?
Many routes of human exposure to the tularemia bacteria exist. The most common include inoculation of the skin or mucous membranes with blood or tissue while handling, dressing or skinning infected animals; contact with fluids from infected flies or ticks; the bite of infected ticks; or handling or eating insufficiently cooked rabbit or hare meat. An individual can also get tularemia by drinking contaminated water, or breathing dust that is contaminated with the bacteria. Tularemia CANNOT be spread from one person to another.
What are the symptoms of tularemia?
The usual symptoms of tularemia are a sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, chest pain and coughing. If the disease is caused by the bite of an infected insect or from bacteria entering a cut or scratch on the skin, it usually causes a skin ulcer and swollen glands. Eating or drinking contaminated food or water may produce a throat infection, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Inhalation of the organism may produce a fever alone, or combined with a pneumonia-like illness. If untreated, the disease could lead to respiratory failure.
How soon do symptoms appear?
Symptoms can appear between two and 21 days after exposure, but most occur between three and five days.
What is the treatment for tularemia?
Antibiotics such as streptomycin and gentamicin are effective in treating tularemia.
Does past infection with tularemia make a person immune?
Most persons who have been infected with this organism will become immune to re-infection. Re-infection is extremely rare and has been reported only in laboratory workers.
What can be done to prevent the spread of tularemia?
- Rubber gloves should be worn when skinning or handling animals, especially rabbits.
- Meat from wild game, especially rabbit and squirrel should be cooked thoroughly before eating.
- Insect repellants and long clothing should be worn when walking through areas known contain deer flies and ticks.
- Avoid drinking untreated water which could be contaminated with dead animal carcasses.
For more information about tularemia, call the Vermont Department of Health, Epidemiology Field Unit, at 1-800-640-4374 (in VT only), or 1-802-863-7240.