New York health authorities reported at least three probable cases of a rare bacterial disease on Long Island. This is tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” which is caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis. It is transmitted mainly through the bites of ticks or horseflies that have been in contact with infected animals.

The Suffolk County Health Department warned about the situation through local media. Investigations continue to determine the spread and measures necessary to protect the community.

Symptoms of “rabbit fever” may appear three to five days after exposure and include high fever, chills, headaches, and body aches. Cases can range from mild to severe, with complications including pneumonic forms of the disease. Confirmation requires specific analyzes that can take weeks.

"It is often called 'rabbit fever' because hunters who shoot rabbits and then skin and eviscerate them can become contaminated by that close contact with their tissues," Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, told ABC News.

Symptoms of tularemia

“Tularemia presents like a bad flu begins: sudden fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and a feeling of exhaustion,” Dr. Zoe Weiss, director of clinical microbiology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, told ABC.

“What distinguishes it is what appears along with it: a sore or ulcer at the site of the bite and a swollen and painful lymph node near it,” he says.

It can also include eye irritation and inflammation and swelling of the lymph nodes in front of the ear, among those who have touched infected animal tissue.

Additionally, patients who ingest contaminated food or water may develop oropharyngeal tularemia, which includes sore throat, mouth ulcers, tonsillitis, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

Prevention and treatment

Tularemia is treatable with conventional antibiotics, although vaccination is currently poorly accessible.

To prevent it, it is recommended to use insect repellents and appropriate clothing during outdoor activities, and handle potentially infected animals with caution.

Long-term complications

Long-term complications of tularemia may include persistent or spread infections to other organs, such as osteomyelitis, pericarditis, meningitis, pneumonia, endocarditis, hepatitis, sepsis, and, in severe cases, kidney failure or residual lung damage. In some survivors there may also be residual scarring, lung or kidney damage, and loss of muscle mass.

How common are they? Serious complications are more likely in pneumonic or typhoid tularemia, and delay in treatment increases the risk of sequelae. With proper treatment, most people recover well, and relapses are rare, although they can occur if treatment was insufficient.

Alarm signs. Seek urgent medical attention if you experience difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, neck stiffness, worsening fever or neurological symptoms. These manifestations may indicate pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis or another serious complication.

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