What Are the Symptoms of Tularemia?

Symptoms of tularemia depend on the form of the disease. Most infected people have a red spot at the site of the insect bite or the cut where the bacterium entered the body. This spot may become an ulcer.

Other signs and symptoms appear within one to 14 days (most frequently in two to five days) and may come on suddenly. They can include extreme tiredness, muscle aches, fever, headache, sweating, chills, and weight loss. Lymph nodes in the groin and armpits may become swollen.

People who contract tularemia from inhaled bacteria usually have pneumonia-like symptoms, such as a dry cough, shortness of breath, or discomfort in the chest area. This form can progress to shock and respiratory failure.

People who drink contaminated water or eat contaminated meat may experience nausea (NAW-zee-uh), vomiting, pain in the abdomen, diarrhea, sore throat, and sometimes gastrointestinal bleeding.

How Is Tularemia Diagnosed?

Doctors use blood tests to check for tularemia. Some tests look for antibodies to the Francisella tularensis bacterium. Doctors also may look for evidence of the bacterium in the blood, fluid from the nose and mouth, and lymph nodes. If the person has symptoms of pneumonia, the doctor will also order a chest x-ray.

How Is Tularemia Treated?

Tularemia responds well to antibiotics, and most people can receive treatment at home. Because tularemia is not contagious, people who have it do not have to be isolated.

In more severe cases, when the disease attacks the lungs or other organs, people may require hospitalization and closer monitoring.

Most people who receive treatment recover from tularemia, but the septic and pneumonic forms of the disease can be life-threatening. Symptoms of tularemia can last for several weeks. Most people do not experience any lasting damage from the disease and may develop some degree of immunity to it.

Complications of tularemia can include pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis, kidney problems, lung abscesses, pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart), shock, and, rarely, death. Approximately 1.4 percent of all cases in the United States are fatal.

Can Tularemia Be Prevented?

In the past, laboratory workers at risk for contracting tularemia due to frequent contact with laboratory animals received vaccinations against the disease. That vaccine was unavailable for public use in the United States as of 2009. The Food and Drug Administration was, however, continuing its review of a potential vaccine for use by the general public.

The best way to uold oominaremia is to prevent tick and insect bites by using repellent and by wearing light-colored clothing that covers the arms and legs. Another prevention measure is to avoid contact with certain wild animals, such as rabbits. Experts recommend that hunters wear rubber gloves when handling animals and that they cook all meat thoroughly. In addition, people should avoid swimming in or drinking water that might be contaminated.

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