About Tularemia

Key points

• Tularemia is a potentially serious illness caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.
• People can become infected in several different ways, including tick and deer fly bites, and contact with infected animals (especially rodents, rabbits, and hares).

Overview

Tularemia is a disease that can infect animals and people. Rabbits, hares, and rodents are especially susceptible and often die in large numbers during outbreaks. People can become infected in several ways, including:

• Tick and deer fly bites
• Skin contact with infected animals
• Drinking contaminated water
• Inhaling contaminated aerosols or agricultural and landscaping dust
• Occupational exposure

In addition, people could be exposed as a result of bioterrorism.

Symptoms vary depending how the person was infected. Tularemia can be life-threatening, but most infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics.

Steps to prevent tularemia include:

• Using insect repellent
• Wearing gloves when handling sick or dead animals
• Avoiding mowing over dead animals

In the United States, naturally occurring infections have been reported from all states except Hawaii.

Aug. 27, 2026

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National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)About This Page

Published: May 15, 2024

Updated: August 27, 2026This page was last updated on this date. Updates may include minor edits, image changes, or other modifications to page content.

Reviewed: August 27, 2026The information on this page was last reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy.

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