ZKEA

Biological Warfare : Biological Terrorism : Emerging Diseases

Tularemia, Rabbit Fever

In the natural state tularemia is usually contracted by working with an infected animal. Trappers and hunters are the traditional risk groups. Transmission of the bacterium is often affected during skinning of a fresh carcass. Again, rabbits are particularly risky. However, tularemia is quite widespread and a number of species can harbor the bacterium. Transmission can also be accomplished via tick or flea bite, by drinking infected water (contaminated with a dead carcass), and by eating meat from an infected animal that has not been well cooked. The bacterium is tolerant of low temperatures and can survive in water. It is never spread from person-to-person.

Tularemia is one of the most infectious pathogenic bacteria known. Indeed, it has become infamous in laboratory settings for causing infection amongst researchers at the slightest opportunity. The inhalation of as few as 10 organisms is enough to initiate a full-blown case of the disease.

Typical symptoms appear within 3-5 days. If contracted by skin these symptoms include a slow-growing ulcer at the infection site and swollen lymph nodes. If the bacterium is inhaled, additional symptoms include a fever, sore throat, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting. This inhalation form of the disease is far more dangerous than the skin form of the disease.

A range of antibiotics are used in treatment, with streptomycin and gentamicin being most commonly used. Usually infection will confer long-term immunity to an individual. A vaccine is under development but not currently available.

Tularemia comes in a number of strains, some far more virulent than others. Therefore lethality varies quite a bit. In its typical wild form and with suitable treatment however, tularmeia is rarely fatal.

Even so, tularemia is easily aerosolized, thus making delivery of its dangerous inhalation form possible in a bioweapon. Due to this and due to tularemia's extreme infectious capability, tularemia has therefore always been a very desirable biological weapon. The Japanese pioneered the use of weaponized tularemia before and during World War 2. After the war both the Soviet Union and the United States actively created pursued their own research here, eventually deploying a number of Tularmeia weapons. The United States destroyed their arsenal in 1970. The Soviets intensified their own efforts in their Biopreparat program.

The Soviets may have been inspired in this effort by their own history. During the siege of Leningrad in World War 2, a major tularmeia plague afflicted the area around the city. Although firm evidence has never been produced, some believe that this plague was artificially induced by the Soviets as a means to weaken the Nazi onslaught.

It's believed that a number of countries currently stock tularemia weapons. Given tularemia's relative ease of access and aerosolization, it is also likely that terrorist groups are attracted to this agent. To date, however, there is no open literature indicating that terrorist groups indeed have such weapons. Models indicate that a terrorist attack via a virulent weaponized tularemia would kill up to 60% of a population in a target city.

Link: Analysis: Tularemia As A Biological Weapons
Link: Tulermia Symptoms, Treatment and Use In Weapons
Link: New York State Communicable Disease Fact Sheet
Link: CDC Warning: Watch for Tularemia In BioTerror Attack
Link: Tularemia: Essential Data