Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffAlthough anyone of any age can develop tularemia, certain occupations or activities pose a greater risk. In the United States, people living in areas of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma may be at greater risk because of the concentration of ticks in those areas. Activities that increase your risk include:
- Hunting and trapping. Because hunters handle wild animals, are exposed to animal blood and may eat the meat, they're at risk of tularemia.
- Gardening or landscaping. Gardeners and landscapers may also be at risk of tularemia. They are more likely to develop pneumonic tularemia, one of the least common and most deadly forms of the disease. It's possible that gardeners inhale bacteria that are stirred up while working the soil or when using mowers and weed trimmers.
- Wildlife management and veterinary medicine. People who work with wildlife are at increased risk of tularemia.
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about tularemia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/tularemia/faq.asp. Accessed Feb. 15, 2010.
- Nigrovic LE, et al. Tularemia. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 2008;22:489.
- Everett. ED. Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of tularemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 15, 2010.
- Everett ED. Microbiology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology of tularemia, http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 15, 2010.
- Eisen RJ, et al. Ecoepidemiology of tularemia in the Southcentral United States. American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. 2008;78:586.
- Tularemia: Surveillance reported cases by state. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/Surveillance/Tul_CasesbyState.html. Accessed March 2, 2010.

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