What is tularemia? Tularemia, also known as "rabbit fever," is a
potentially serious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella
tularensis. Tularemia occurs naturally and is typically found in
warm-blooded animals, especially rodents, rabbits and hares. It
is also found in voles, muskrats, beavers, and some domestic
animals. The organism can also be found in hard ticks. It is
usually a rural disease and has been reported in all the U.S.
states except Hawaii. How do people become infected with
tularemia? Typically, people become infected through the bite of
infected insects (most commonly, wood ticks, dog ticks, lone
star ticks, and deerflies), by handling infected sick or dead
animals (e.g. during skinning or dressing), by eating or
drinking contaminated food or water, by handling or eating
undercooked meats of infected animals, by breathing in dust from
infected soil, grain, or hay or by inhaling airborne bacteria.
Tularemia is not known to be spread from person to person.
People who have tularemia do not n