I've just read about tularemia in wild rabbits, and "they" say to always skin wild rabbits wearing latex gloves. have any of you ever had tularemia, or think you have gotten it from domestic rabbits? apprentely you can get it from ticks and black flies too, but no use worrying about that.

-- Elizabeth (Lividia66@aol.com), November 13, 2001

Answers

I use to do a lot of wild rabbit hunting and would see this in some rabbits at least once a year. I never used rubber gloves while dressing the rabbits, but I would always wash my hands real good before touching myself or anything. If I found it in a rabbit I would simply discard the whole rabbit to avoid passing it to anybody in my family. Not once have I gotten sick with tularemia. It helps to be able to identify it and practice safe hand washing.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), November 13, 2001.