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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffTularemia is a rare infectious disease that can attack the skin, eyes, lymph nodes, lungs and, less often, other internal organs. Often called rabbit fever or deer fly fever, tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. The disease mainly affects mammals, especially rodents, rabbits and hares, although it can also infect birds, reptiles and fish.
Tularemia spreads to humans through several routes, including insect bites and direct exposure to an infected animal. Highly contagious and potentially fatal, tularemia usually can be treated effectively with specific antibiotics if diagnosed early.
References
- Tularemia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/index.html. Accessed May 4, 2012.
- Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=9122226. Accessed May 4, 2012.
- McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2012. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=1. Accessed May 4, 2012.
- Graham J, et al. Tick-borne illnesses: A CME update. Pediatric Emergency Care. 2011;27:141.
- Snowden J, et al. Tularemia: Retrospective review of 10 years' experience in Arkansas. Clinical Pediatrics. 2011;50:64.
- Conlan JW. Tularemia vaccines: Recent developments and remaining hurdles. Future Microbiology. 2011;6:391.
- Safe minimum cooking temperatures. FoodSafety.gov. http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html. Accessed May 15, 2012.
- Game from farm to table. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/farm_raised_game/index.asp. Accessed May 15, 2012.
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