Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma Americanum) Endemic Francisella Tularensis

This is often caught by the handling of animal pelts such as that of a rabbit. The Lone Star tick (Amblyomma Americanum) is a traditional vector for endemic Francisella tularensis, the etiologic agent of tularemia. This is one of the most infectious of the zoonoses, and can be acquired by casual exposure to infectious animal tissues or fluids, direct contact with or ingestion of contaminated water, food, or soil, and inhalation of infective aerosols. Aerosolization is common; infection and death have resulted from contact no closer than poking a dead rabbit with a walking-stick.

Dx: Tularemia