Tularemia, a disease that can affect both animals and humans, is caused by a bacteria, Francisella tularemsis . The rabbit is the species most often involved in disease outbreaks. The bacteria can also be found in ticks and deerflies. Tularemia in humans is relatively rare in Wisconsin, averaging less than one case per year since 1980. Many routes of human exposure to the tularemia bacteria are known to exist.
Rabbit meat can remain infective even after being frozen for several years.
Tularemia cannot be spread from one person to another. Tularemia is usually recognized by the presence of a skin lesion and swollen glands. Ingestion of the organism may produce a throat infection, intestinal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. Inhalation of the organism may produce a fever alone or combined with a pneumonia-like illness. Symptoms generally appear between 2 and 10 days after exposure, but usually after 3 days.