Tularemia
Tularemia is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis found in animals, most commonly rodents, rabbits and hares.

There are several ways the disease can be contracted, such as being bitten by an infected insect, tick or deerfly; handling infected animal carcasses; eating or drinking contaminated food or water; or breathing in the F. tularensis bacteria.

F. tularensis could be used as a bioweapon by making the bacteria airborne. The bacteria that cause tularemia occur widely in nature and could be isolated and grown in a laboratory, although manufacturing an effective aerosol weapon would require considerable sophistication.

Symptoms of the disease include a sudden fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough, progressive weakness and pneumonia. Other symptoms depend on how the disease was contracted and can include ulcers on the skin or mouth, swollen and painful lymph glands or eyes, and a sore throat. Symptoms usually appear three to five days after exposure to the bacteria, but sometimes patients do not develop symptoms for up to 14 days.

The disease is not known to be spread from person to person. Those infected should begin taking antibiotics as soon as possible since the disease can be fatal if it is not treated. A vaccine for tularemia is being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration and is not currently available in the United States.