Tularaemia

At a glance

No vaccine available – read more about prevention
Nationally notifiable disease

About tularaemia

Tularaemia is a rare disease caused by Francisella tularensis bacteria.

Tularaemia infections are often mild, but they can be serious. In severe cases, it can cause death.

The bacteria are highly infectious – only a very small amount is needed to cause infection.

Why it matters to public health

Tularaemia infections are very rare in Australia, with only 4 people diagnosed to date. Most of these infections have been mild to moderate in severity.

Tularaemia is more common in the northern hemisphere.

The bacteria that cause tularaemia could be misused in an act of bioterrorism or biocrime. The Australian Government regulates the handling of Francisella tularensis to minimise this risk.

We work with colleagues at the national and state and territory levels to gather information and provide advice on a One Health coordinated approach to monitoring and reporting of tularaemia.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Symptoms are often non-specific and can include:

high fever
chills
anorexia
malaise (feeling unwell)
headache
extreme fatigue
chest pain
difficulty breathing
abdominal pain
cough
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea.

Complications might include:

skin lesions or ulcers at the site of the bite or exposed skin
swollen lymph nodes
inflammation of the eyes, mouth or throat
gastroenteritis
pneumonia
rarely, sepsis and meningitis.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually develop within 3 to 5 days after infection, but this can range from 1 to 21 days depending on how the bacteria enters the body and the amount that enters.

How it spreads

Tularaemia spreads to people when the bacterium enters their body through the skin, eyes, mouth or lungs.

It mainly spreads to humans from contact with infected native wildlife (including sick or dead animals). It can also spread through:

bites from infected ticks, mosquitoes or deer flies
drinking untreated water
eating undercooked meat from infected animals
breathing in air with contaminated dust, hay or water.

In Australia, infections have been linked with exposure to infected possums, but other animals may also spread the illness.

Infectious period

Tularaemia does not spread directly between person to person.

The bacteria can survive in the environment – including in animal carcasses – for many weeks.

Prevention

There is no vaccine against tularaemia.

In Australia, the best way to protect against tularaemia is to avoid contact with native wildlife (including sick or dead animals) – especially possums.

People who work around native wildlife should follow their employer’s work health and safety advice.

If travelling overseas to a country where tularaemia is more common, people should:

speak to a healthcare professional before they go
avoid contact with wild or native animals (including sick or dead animals)
take measures to prevent tick bites and deer fly bites – including using insect repellents
follow recommended steps to kill attached ticks in place without pulling them out
cook meat thoroughly
not drink untreated water.

Priority groups and settings

Some people are at greater risk of getting tularaemia or getting very sick from it.

People at greater risk should take steps to protect themselves.

People at greater risk of severe disease

Tularaemia poses a greater risk of severe illness for people who are immunocompromised.

People at greater risk of exposure

People might be at greater risk of being exposed to the bacteria if they:

have contact with Australian wildlife – especially possums
work with the bacteria in a laboratory
travel to a part of the world where tularaemia is more common, especially if they:
spend time outdoors
are around animals or animal carcasses
do landscaping
eat undercooked meat
drink untreated water.

Diagnosis and treatment

Tularaemia can be diagnosed with laboratory tests. Relevant specimens for collection include:

blood
tissue samples or swabs from lesions.

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

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Tularaemia is treated with antibiotics. Most people fully recover with treatment.

Surveillance and reporting

Tularaemia is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Public health authorities take a One Health approach to surveillance of tularaemia, incorporating human disease surveillance, with animal and environmental disease investigations as required.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new laboratory confirmed and probable cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of national surveillance activities, to monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns working in close collaboration with jurisdictions.

We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.

Outbreaks

Tularaemia outbreaks are rare in Australia.

In the event of an outbreak, public health authorities may investigate cases of tularaemia to identify the likely source of infection, including whether the person was infected in Australia.

If someone is found to have been infected in Australia, a coordinated One Health response should be used to prevent further infections.

Read more about how the Australian Government defines and plans for outbreaks.

Support

For information about tularaemia in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

For travel advice, see Smartraveller.