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I found your posting on Tulerimia after searching the web. I was looking it up because my son has just been diagnosed with it. He has spent a month in the hospital and has had three surgeries because of this. Doctors aren't sure where he got it from but I suspect that it is from our hunting dog who brings home some critter almost everyday. Just wanted to let people know how dangerous it is. It seems that dogs and cats don't get infected by it but can pass it on (as simple as my son giving the dog a treat and getting saliva on his hands.) maybe this posting will help somebody else as my sons infectious disease Dr.'s were stumped for a while on this one. Thanks

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Word of Caution - rubber gloves (latex or vinyl) are cheap from Wally World and protect your hands while field-dressing/processing your meat, whether it's rabbit, deer, hogs, etc. I learned the hard way when I was working for the Health Dept. collecting ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, etc. to track diseases that are transmitted from animals to man (zoonotic). I ended up with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and didn't even have a cut on my hand. The ricketsia (sp.) is so potent that it can enter your body through a scratch, hangnail and/or even unbroken skin!

I have been wearing surgical gloves when I field dress deer, hogs, rabbits, skin furbearers, process game, etc. just to be on the safe side. Oh, when they tested my blood back in the mid-80's when I was sick, I was borderline for Tularemia, Bangs, Plague, Psitticosis (avians) and a few more. Rocky Mountain SF flat put the hurt on me and none of yall need to go through what I did. I lost my eye sight, lost both kidneys, went on dialysis, transplanted with a kidney/pancreas and then lost both hips!! All of this happened in a 3 year ordeal.

Please be careful handling wild game and whatever you do, DO NOT crush ticks with your thumbnails!!! Pull them out with tweezers and flush them or burn them.

Chris

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