Tularemia Fact Sheet

April 2026

Tularemia is a rare infectious disease caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis. It affects both humans and animals, and is typically found in wild animals such as rabbits, hares, muskrats, voles, and beavers. Domestic animals can also be reservoirs for the bacteria. Tularemia is also known as Rabbit Fever because hunters can get the disease from contact with infected rabbits.

Tularemia is rare in Canada. There are approximately 200 cases reported annually in the U.S. The number of cases increases during May to August (associated with tick-borne transmission) and in December to January (associated with hunting).

 

 

People can become infected through the following routes:

  • Skin: The most common route is through a cut in the skin while handling infected animals or animal tissue, or by being bitten by an infected tick or deer fly.
  • Stomach: Eating an infected animal such as a rabbit, or less commonly through drinking contaminated water.
  • Lungs: The bacteria can be inhaled after breathing in dust from contaminated soil or dust generated while mowing, handling or sorting contaminated hay. Airborne tularemia would be the most likely agent for a bioterrorist attack as it could be released through aerosol spray devices.

    Tularemia does not spread from person to person. Hunters and other people who spend a lot of time outdoors are at greater risk of being exposed to tularemia.

    • Wear rubber gloves when handling or skinning animals, especially rabbits.
    • All wild meat should be cooked properly before eating.
    • Avoid drinking, bathing, swimming or working in untreated water.
    • Wear protective clothing and use insect repellent to avoid tick, fly and mosquito bites. Check for ticks frequently.
    • Do not handle sick or dead animals.

    Symptoms usually start 3-5 days after being exposed but can start anywhere from 1-14 days after exposure. Symptoms include:

    • Fever
    • Headaches
    • Muscle and joint pain
    • Dry cough
    • Nausea
    • Weakness
    • Pneumonia

    Other symptoms of tularemia depend on how a person was exposed to the tularemia bacteria. These symptoms can include ulcers on the skin or mouth, swollen and painful lymph glands, swollen and painful eyes, and a sore throat.

    Currently, there is no vaccine available for general use.

    You should contact a health care provider if any of the following apply, especially after outdoor, animal, or tick exposure:

    • Fever plus:
      • A skin ulcer that does not heal, especially if it started after a tick bite or animal contact
      • Swollen or painful lymph nodes (neck, armpit, groin, or near an ulcer)
      • Eye pain, redness, discharge, or eyelid sores after touching animals or contaminated material
      • Severe sore throat, mouth ulcers, or swollen neck glands
    • Respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain with fever
    • A high fever with no clear cause that started suddenly and does not improve
    • Any illness after:
      • A tick or deer fly bite
      • Handling wild animals, animal carcasses, or sick pets
      • Inhaling dust or aerosols during lawn mowing, farming, landscaping, or similar activities

    Early medical care matters because tularemia requires specific antibiotics and does not resolve on its own. Since tularemia is not spread from person to person, someone diagnosed with tularemia does not need to stay home and separate from others.

    Tularemia is diagnosed with laboratory tests which could include a blood test or testing other bodily fluids. A health care provider diagnoses tularemia by considering a person’s symptoms, their possible exposures, and the results of laboratory tests.

    Tularemia is treated with specific antibiotics, and treatment should start as soon as the disease is suspected. Without the right antibiotics, tularemia does not get better on its own and can become serious.

    Use of prophylactic antibiotics is recommended for children and adults after exposure to an intentional release of tularemia, or with known exposure to infectious materials or sources.

    Call Toronto Public Health at 416-338-7600 (TTY at 416-392-0658) or speak to your health care provider. You can also call 811 to connect to a registered nurse day or night for free, secure and confidential health advice.
    Date modified: May 20, 2026