Tularemia

Tularemia (rabbit fever) results from infection with the bacterium Francisella tularensis, spread by direct contact with infected animals, drinking contaminated water, inhaling contaminated aerosols or agricultural and landscaping dust, bites of the deer fly Chrysops discalis or mosquitoes, or most commonly via arthropod vectors, including Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, and Ixodes ticks, which may remain infectious for over two years. Rodents, rabbits, and hares often serve as natural reservoirs. Francisella tularensis, including from tick-borne infection, may cause clinical disease in domestic cats, dogs, sheep, and horses, as well as in humans. Cattle are resistant. I’ll focus here on ulceroglandular tularemia, as seen in tick-born disease.