Tularemia is an infection common in wild rodents. It is transmitted to humans by contact with infected animal tissues or by ticks, biting flies, and mosquitoes.
Alternative NamesDeerfly fever; Rabbit fever; Pahvant Valley plague; Ohara disease; Yatobyo (Japan); Lemming fever
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsTularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.
Humans can get the disease through:
Areas where the disorder most commonly occurs include North America and parts of Europe and Asia. The illness may continue for several weeks after symptoms begin.
Some people may develop pneumonia after being infected. Risk factors include recent exposure to rabbits or a recent tick bite. The disease is very rare in the United States.
Francisella tularensis is considered a potential bioterrorism agent. An aerosol release would be a possible method of infection. Pneumonia cases would start 1 - 10 days after people were exposed.
SymptomsThis disease may also affect the results of febrile/cold agglutinins.
TreatmentThe goal of treatment is to cure the infection with antibiotics. Streptomycin and tetracycline are commonly used to treat this infection. Once daily gentamycin treatment has been tried with excellent results as an alternative therapy to streptomycin. However, only a few cases have been studied to date.
Tetracycline and Chloramphenicol can be used alone, but they are not considered a first-line treatment.
Note: oral tetracycline is usually not prescribed for children until after all their permanent teeth have come in. It can permanently discolor teeth that are still forming.
Expectations (prognosis)Tularemia is fatal in about 5% of untreated cases, and in less than 1% of treated cases.
ComplicationsCall your health care provider if symptoms develop after a rodent bite, tick bite, or exposure to the flesh of a wild animal.
PreventionA vaccine is recommended for people at high risk (trappers, hunters, and laboratory workers who work with the bacteria).
ReferencesSchaffner W. Tularemia and other Francisella infections. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 332.
Cronquist SD. Tularemia: the disease and the weapon. Dermatol Clin. 2004; 22(3): 313-20, vi-vii.
Tularemia is an infection common in wild rodents that is passed to humans through contact with infected animal tissues or by ticks, biting flies, and mosquitoes.
Alternative NamesDeerfly fever; Rabbit fever; Pahvant Valley plague; Ohara disease; Yato-byo (Japan); Lemming fever
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsTularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.
Humans can get the disease through:
The disorder most commonly occurs in North America and parts of Europe and Asia. Although outbreaks can occur in the United States, they are rare.
Some people may develop pneumonia after breathing in infected dirt or plant material. This is known to occur on Martha's Vineyard, where bacteria are present in rabbits, raccoons, and skunks.
Francisella tularensis is considered a potential bioterrorism agent. An aerosol release would be a possible method of infection. Pneumonia cases would start 1 - 10 days after people were exposed.
SymptomsThe incubation period is 3 to 5 days after exposure. The illness usually starts suddenly, and may continue for several weeks after symptoms begin.
This disease may also affect the results of febrile agglutinins and some tests for infectious mononucleosis.
TreatmentThe goal of treatment is to cure the infection with antibiotics. Streptomycin and tetracycline are commonly used to treat this infection. Once daily gentamicin treatment has been tried with excellent results as an alternative therapy to streptomycin. However, because this is a rare disease, only a few cases have been studied to-date.
Tetracycline and chloramphenicol can be used alone, but they have a high relapse rate and are not considered a first-line treatment.
Note: Oral tetracycline is usually not prescribed for children until after all their permanent teeth have come in. It can permanently discolor teeth that are still forming.
Expectations (prognosis)Tularemia is fatal in about 5% of untreated cases, and in less than 1% of treated cases.
ComplicationsCall your health care provider if symptoms develop after a rodent bite, tick bite, or exposure to the flesh of a wild animal.
PreventionA vaccine is recommended for people at high risk (trappers, hunters, and laboratory workers who work with the bacteria).
ReferencesPenn RL. Francisella tularensis (Tularemia). In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Disease. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2009:chap 227.
Schaffner W. Tularemia and other Francisella infections. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 332.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 03/11/2011
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Five types of illness may occur, depending on where/how the bacteria enter the body: Ulceroglandular/glandular tularemia, Oculoglandular tularemia,Oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal tularemia, Pulmonary tularemia, Typhoidal tularemia
This type accounts for only about 1% of all cases of tularemia
Ulceroglandular/glandular tularemia. Seventy-five to 85% of all cases are of this type.
In the United States, the vast majority of cases of tularemia occur in the southeastern and Rocky Mountain states.
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Tularemia can be treated with drugs, the best choices being streptomycin. There is a vaccine for it but not many people get it because it can be dangerous.
One of them is Tularemia.
Tularemia
Tularemia or rabbit fever or deer fly fever often has an ulcer at the site that a person was bitten.
Tularemia is a rare infectious disease that typically attacks the skin, eyes, lymph nodes and lungs. Tularemia — also called rabbit fever or deer fly fever — is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. There is usually an ulcer seen at the site of infection.
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