Tularemia

[Cube Dweller]

Thinking about doing a little jackrabbit hunting next week and am wondering how much of a risk tularemia really is. I've read some CDC and F&G web pages about precautions, etc. I'd like to actually keep and cook the meat, mostly for the novelty, but I'm wondering if it's worth it.

Any hare hunters out there?

[Bogo]

Originally Posted by Cube Dweller

Thinking about doing a little jackrabbit hunting next week and am wondering how much of a risk tularemia really is. I've read some CDC and F&G web pages about precautions, etc. I'd like to actually keep and cook the meat, mostly for the novelty, but I'm wondering if it's worth it.

Any hare hunters out there?

The only death I've heard of was in Wisconsin years ago and he mowed the rabbit.

[Cuerno Largo]

Originally Posted by Cube Dweller

Thinking about doing a little jackrabbit hunting next week and am wondering how much of a risk tularemia really is. I've read some CDC and F&G web pages about precautions, etc. I'd like to actually keep and cook the meat, mostly for the novelty, but I'm wondering if it's worth it.

Any hare hunters out there?

Jackrabbits are for coyote bait, not for eating IMHO.

Tularemia is rare, but it is certainly something you do not want as it is HIGHLY contagious and it is not a simple illness. It will affect multiple organ systems. Anything listed as a possible bioterrorism agent is on my list of things not to catch. Wear gloves when dressing the rabbit, and cook the hell out of the meat if you are going to eat it. Risks are small and probably not higher than catching an illness from other game though. I was always told by my grandfather to only eat the meat if you killed it in the winter.

[bigndn]

Originally Posted by Cuerno Largo

Jackrabbits are for coyote bait, not for eating IMHO.

I was always told by my grandfather to only eat the meat if you killed it in the winter.

Agreed. The only good jackrabbit I ever had was sausage and even then it wasn't that good.

I was always told the same thing, but it was OK after a heavy frost. I think that got rid of the ticks and parasites bunnies carry around.

[Cube Dweller]

I kinda have issues with blastin mofers just to blast them. Gotta be a meal involved.

Except coyotes. and rodents. which includes squirrels.

[bigndn]

Originally Posted by Cube Dweller

which includes squirrels.

I hear tree squirrels are really tasty.

[Cube Dweller]

Originally Posted by bigndn

I hear tree squirrels are really tasty.

"sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never eat the filthy mother f#%@"

Tree squirrels are also know carriers of Tularemia.

[CJF]

Originally Posted by Cube Dweller

Tree squirrels are also know carriers of Tularemia.

Well then darn near everyone in Appalachia must have it by now...

[JJS]

Originally Posted by CJF

Well then darn near everyone in Appalachia must have it by now...

lol.

The entire state of West Virginia has been quarantined.

[Blue77FJ40]

If I remember correctly, a rabbit with tularemia will have spots on its liver. White/yellow spots on liver = bad. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

[Bogo]

Originally Posted by Cuerno Largo

I was always told by my grandfather to only eat the meat if you killed it in the winter.

Winter also kills off the sick rabbits...

[harper68]

I have always considered jack rabbits in the same leauge as coyotes and rodents. Nevada has no limits on them as well as no license or seasons even non residents can hunt them here with no problem just like coyotes.

[ferg]

Tularemia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Bogo]

Originally Posted by Cube Dweller

Thinking about doing a little jackrabbit hunting next week and am wondering how much of a risk tularemia really is. I've read some CDC and F&G web pages about precautions, etc. I'd like to actually keep and cook the meat, mostly for the novelty, but I'm wondering if it's worth it.

Any hare hunters out there?

About recent cases, ProMed mail is the source to read. Not everything is reported there, but it provides a good heads up to unusual stuff found out in the world population. They have a good site search on their email list archive. I got quite a few hits.

[macneill]

I worried about the same thing last year. Had a ton of rabbits around our place.

Our dog ended up finding one of their nests right outside our back door. We kept it blocked off until they popped out of there and made it own their own. Cute little fawkers I must admit.

Been told by some people to wear a respirator while mowing.

[Cube Dweller]

This guy sure does like to eat him. I wonder if I can find out if he's still vertical...

[Cube Dweller]

From the page I linked above...common sense advice from a jackrabbit hunter.

Tularemia
(Rabbit Fever)



What is Tularemia?

Tularemia (also known as rabbit fever or deerfly fever) is an infectious disease in ticks and rabbits that is caused by a bacterium (Francisella tularensis). The disease was first described in Japan in 1837. Its name relates to the description in 1911 of a plague-like illness in ground squirrels in Tulare county, California (hence the name tularemia) and the subsequent work done by Dr. Edward Francis. Tularemia occurs throughout North America and in many parts of Europe and Asia. Francisella tularensis is found worldwide in over a hundred species of wild animals, birds and insects. Some examples of animals, other than rabbits, that carry tularemia are meadow mice, ground hogs (woodchucks), ground squirrels, tree squirrels, beavers, coyotes, muskrats, opossums, sheep, and various game birds.

There are two common ways that humans can contract tularemia:

* From the bite of an infected tick, deerfly (Chrysops discalis), or mosquito. When transmitted to humans by insects, exposed body surfaces are bitten, and the on set of pain and fever is sudden.

* When broken skin (cuts, abrasions) comes into direct contact with an infected rabbit carcass (namely rabbit species of the genus Sylvilagus which are the cottontails).

Less common means of spreading the disease are drinking contaminated water, inhaling dust from contaminated soil, or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals. Human-to-human transmission of tularemia is uncommon.

What are the clinical features or symptoms of tularemia?

This patient became infected while cleaning rabbits. In humans, tularemia may appear in two forms depending on how a patient contracted the disease. The most common form is usually acquired through the bite of an infected tick (especially wood ticks and deer ticks) or from contact with infected rabbits. Patients will develop an ulcer at the site of infection (photo at left) and lymph glands become inflamed and swollen. Severe fever and flu-like symptoms may accompany the ulcer or lesion. Symptoms start to show within 1-14 days after contracting the disease, with 3-5 days being most common. The fever generally lasts for 3 to 6 weeks if no type of antibiotic therapy is used to combat the bacteria. Patients with the less common form of tularemia, which occurs mainly after inhalation of bacteria, typically experience sudden chills, fever, weight loss, abdominal pains, tiredness, and headaches. Patients with this form of tularemia may develop an unusual pneumonia that can be fatal.

Symptoms of the disease in a rabbit are a white spotted liver, swollen spleen, and an ulcerated or raw area about ¼ inch in diameter which is where the animal was bitten by a tick or deer fly and thus infected.

How is tularemia transmitted to humans through wild game?

Reports of tularemia outbreaks indicate two primary modes of disease transmission. An increase in the number of reported cases in the eastern and midwestern United States during fall and winter coincides with hunting season when hunters are skinning rabbits (photo above). In the southwestern and western United States, the incidence of tularemia is highest during summer months due to tick bites (photo below).

Magnified picture of a typical heaped-up ulcer of tularemia on the scalp caused by a tick bite. The risk of contracting tularemia from rabbits is greatest when handling rabbits after the hunt during the cleaning process. Hunters skinning rabbits are advised to wear protective rubber gloves to reduce the risk of contracting the bacteria that cause tularemia when broken skin (cuts, scratches, open wounds, abrasions) comes into contact with an infected carcass or a live, infected rabbit.

Cook all rabbit meat thoroughly before eating. This doesn't mean you have to over cook the meat, simply make sure it is not bloody in the middle which is a sign that the meat is still raw or uncooked. Bacteria that cause tularemia can live for weeks in water, soil, carcasses, and hides, and for years in frozen rabbit meat.

Other than hunters, who else may be at risk for illness from tularemia?

Approximately 150-300 tularemia cases are reported in the United States annually, with a majority of those from Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. The frequency of tularemia has dropped markedly over the last 50 years and there has been a shift from winter disease (usually from rabbits) to summer disease (more likely from ticks). The bacteria F. tularensis is a hazard to laboratory staff that work closely with rabbits. Matter of fact, nearly all cases reported each year are by people that receive the bacterial disease from a tick bite rather than from cleaning rabbits. Note: as few as 5-10 bacteria can result in disease. Others at risk may include timber industry personnel, outdoor enthusiasts, as well as those who work, play, or live in tick-infested regions during summer months.

As recently as 1984, 20 people from the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Indian reservations in west-central South Dakota were diagnosed with tularemia. Tularemia was spread through these two reservations by dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) that carried the bacteria.

Treatment of tularemia

Doctors recommend a preventative vaccine for people at high risk of contracting tularemia. Untreated, tularemia (Type B) carries a mortality rate of 5-15%, even higher to about 35% with the typhoidal form (Type A). Appropriate antibiotics lower both mortality rates to about 1%. If you suspect that you have been infected with tularemia, seek care from a medical professional immediately. Antibiotics such as streptomycin, gentamicin, and tobramycin are effective in the treatment to eliminate this infectious bacteria. Long-term immunity will follow recovery from tularemia. However, reinfection has been occasionally reported in laboratory workers that had not received the Tularemia vaccine.

Contacting your health care physician

Diagnosis of tularemia is difficult because symptoms of tularemia are also common in other diseases. However, Tularemia can be positively diagnosed by an antibody test, but your doctor may not conduct the test unless you tell him you are a rabbit hunter, or that you are an outdoors type person that has been exposed to ticks. Patients who provide their physician with a recent history of activities could assist in the diagnosis of tularemia. Information provided in this document should NOT be used as a substitute for seeking professional treatment from your local health care provider if symptoms develop after receiving a tick bite or being exposed to the flesh of a wild animal.

How can tularemia be prevented?

Rubber, plastic, or latex gloves should be worn while skinning or handling rabbits, especially if you have open cuts or abrasions. Wild rabbit and rodent meat should be cooked thoroughly before eating. Once again, this doesn't mean you have to over cook the meat, simply make sure it is not bloody in the middle which is a sign that the meat is still raw or uncooked. When outdoors, avoid bites of deer flies and ticks by wearing insect repellents that contain DEET (for skin) and/or repellents containing Permethrin (for clothing only). Also, conduct "tick checks" every two to three hours if spending a lot of time outdoors where ticks are plentiful. All ticks attached to the body should be removed immediately. Using a pair of tweezers, slowly pull the tick straight out, no twisting, then wash hands thoroughly after removal (click here for tick removal photo). Avoid drinking, bathing, swimming or working in untreated (nonchlorinated) water. It is wisely suggested that you not pick up wild dead rabbits found in the outdoors. Also, be suspicious of rabbits that appear to be seriously ill or are easily caught by your Beagles.

Webmaster's Note

I have been a rabbit hunter for more than 30 years and I have never seen a rabbit with a contaminated, spotted liver. I am also unaware of any friends that are hunters or outdoors persons that have ever contracted the disease. Remember, out of several million people that frequent the outdoors, work with laboratory rodents, and rabbit hunt only 150-300 cases are diagnosed throughout the entire US on a yearly basis. Also, remember this disease has been on a sharp decline for the past 50 years. The sole purpose of this article is to educate you on the disease tularemia, but in no way is this article intended to exaggerate its minimal risk factor. Just beware that the disease does exist, use the proper precautions, and enjoy rabbit hunting and eating rabbit meat.

[harper68]

I have also heard it is safe to eat rabbits when hunted during the months that have an "R". Looks like you got a few how did they taste. I like cottontails but havent tried jacks.

[D'Animal]

Plant a garden or flowers in a flower bed. They will become a rodent real fast, in your opinion.

Originally Posted by Cube Dweller

I kinda have issues with blastin mofers just to blast them. Gotta be a meal involved.

Except coyotes. and rodents. which includes squirrels.

[Cube Dweller]

Originally Posted by harper68

I have also heard it is safe to eat rabbits when hunted during the months that have an "R". Looks like you got a few how did they taste. I like cottontails but havent tried jacks.

That's not me in the avatar, he's the guy with the web page I linked. I like that he dressed in fatigues to go jack rabbit hunting