Tularemia << `too` luh REE mee uh >> also called rabbit fever, is an infectious disease of many mammals, including human beings. Tularemia is caused by a bacterium, Francisella tularensis. It was first reported in Tulare County, California, in 1911. Tularemia is most often transmitted by the bite of a tick or an insect. Human beings also can catch this disease by handling infected animals, such as squirrels, rabbits, and rats. Tularemia causes a fever that comes and goes, and lasts several weeks. The lymph glands become swollen around the bite. If not treated by a physician, tularemia often causes death.
Scientists can easily culture (grow) tularemia in laboratories to study the bacterium and develop treatments. However, some people worry that tularemia bacteria can also be used in war as a biological weapon or in a terrorist attack.
