Those of us who spend any time in the outdoors have probably heard of this disease. I had, but I had no idea it was this nasty. When I was a kid somebody, probably my father, told me to never eat a wild rabbit unless there was an "R" in the month. I grew up thinking maybe he was confusing rabbits with oysters.

Turns out he was right. May through August happens to be when the ticks are out, at least in my area. Just a reminder to thoroughly wash after cleaning any small mammal, particularly rabbits, and to cook it thoroughly.

Here is the CDC website. Like I said, pretty nasty stuff:

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/tularemia/faq.asp

Regards, Vince

Norad45:

Is that the same as "hives"?

Got hives once, very painful, swollen bumpy hands.

Bountyhunter

Tularemia is Category A Agent as listed by the CDC.

Some other sites for Tularemia are:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/tularemia/index.asp
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000856.htm
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic591.htm
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/tularemia

Other Category A agents identified by CDC are:
Anthrax
Botulism
Plague
Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (ex. ebola)
Smallpox
Tularemia

CDC guidelines for Category A Agents defined as:
The U.S. public health system and primary healthcare providers must be prepared to address various biological agents, including pathogens that are rarely seen in the United States. High-priority agents include organisms that pose a risk to national security because they

can be easily disseminated or transmitted from person to person;
result in high mortality rates and have the potential for major public health impact;
might cause public panic and social disruption; and
require special action for public health preparedness.

No, Bounty, rabbit fever is NOT the same as hives... I've never heard of anybody ever dying from untreated hives, going crazy from the itch, maybe, but not dying... untreated tularemia leads to the Reaper.

Wildcard163:

See!, I don't have all the answers.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

What is sobering how fast it can develop. If you are in the backcountry when it strikes then you could end up at deaths door before you get medical care, unless you are evacuated by a helicopter. I guess I'm going to re-think carrying some antibiotics.

Regards, Vince

I've never had hives. Aren't they just a mild allergic reaction?

Vince

An allergy yes - mild? In my case no. Hives or Urticaria, is named after stinging nettles, as they produce the same sort of weals.
There are different types. I suffer from pressure Urticaria, which means if I scratch myself or my clothing is too tight I'll come up in an itchy weal. Of course it a vicious circle the more I scratch the more weals the more I itch....eventually you draw blood.
After getting little help from the medical profession, I eventually worked out it was an allergy to diary product, in particular high fat cheeses. Over the years its calmed down, but I still can't eat diary products in any great amounts.
I found the topical steriod cream the doctors gave me (eumnovate) worked, but came with such dire health warning I tried to avoid them. Surprisingly I found zinc and castor oil cream mean't for babbies nappy rash worked just as well and is safe to use over a long period of time.
I seem to have got carried away here and its nothing to do with rabbits!...hope its useful never-the-less.

ok but is the "months ending in R" myth true?

ive never eaten wild rabbit but id have to think that people in the past who lived off the land ate them year round almost, so there must be a way to ensure the safety of the food.

Humility is a fine character trait <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.