Wild rabbits and hares are common sights in yards, fields, and parks. Since these animals live in close proximity to humans and domestic pets, caution is necessary as they can host various pathogens. Understanding the specific diseases they carry and how those illnesses spread is the first step toward reducing personal risk. This information focuses on the most common zoonotic threats associated with these animals.
Key Zoonotic Diseases Carried by Wild Rabbits
The most significant bacterial threat associated with wild rabbits is Tularemia, commonly known as “rabbit fever,” which is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. This bacterium is highly infectious, requiring only a small number of organisms to cause illness in humans. Symptoms generally appear three to five days after exposure and can include a sudden fever, chills, and swollen lymph nodes. Depending on how the bacteria entered the body, a person may also develop a skin ulcer at the site of infection or experience a severe, pneumonia-like illness if the organism was inhaled.
Domestic animals, particularly cats, are highly susceptible to Tularemia and can contract it after consuming an infected rabbit or through a tick bite. Infected cats may display a high fever, mouth ulcers, and loss of appetite. Dogs rarely show severe symptoms, often experiencing only a mild illness.
Another serious, though geographically less widespread, bacterial disease associated with wild rabbits is Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis. Rabbits and hares can be affected by the bacterium, which cycles naturally among wild rodent populations. Human infection most often results from handling the tissue of an infected animal, such as during hunting or skinning, or from the bite of an infected flea that has recently fed on a sick rabbit.
Rabies is extremely rare in wild rabbits. Rabbits and hares are not considered natural carriers of the virus, and they rarely survive an attack from a rabid animal long enough to transmit the disease. Other risks include Pasteurellosis, a bacterial infection often found in a rabbit’s respiratory tract, and Ringworm, a fungal skin infection.
Understanding Transmission Routes and Vectors
Diseases from wild rabbits are transmitted through several distinct pathways. The most direct route involves handling an infected animal. Bacteria like Francisella tularensis can enter the body through cuts, abrasions, or mucous membranes when a person skins a rabbit or contacts its blood or internal tissues. Cases of Tularemia often peak among hunters during the winter season.
Transmission can also occur through the inhalation of contaminated aerosols. Disturbing areas where an infected rabbit has died, such as running over a carcass with a lawnmower or disturbing contaminated soil, can aerosolize the bacteria. Ingesting the bacteria, either by drinking contaminated water or consuming insufficiently cooked meat, is another potential source of infection.
External parasites, or vectors, facilitate disease transmission between the wild rabbit population and other mammals. Ticks and biting flies, such as deer flies, feed on infected rabbits and then pass the Francisella tularensis bacterium to humans or pets through their bites. Fleas that have fed on a rabbit infected with Plague or Tularemia can also transmit the pathogen when they subsequently bite a human or domestic animal.
Essential Prevention and Safety Measures
Avoid direct, unprotected contact with wild rabbits. A rabbit that is slow-moving, lethargic, or behaving abnormally may be ill and should not be approached. If you must handle a deceased or injured wild rabbit, always wear impermeable gloves and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water afterward.
Precautions against vectors are important for those spending time outdoors. Using insect repellent and checking clothing for ticks after being outside limits vector-borne transmission. It is also advisable to avoid mowing or disturbing areas where dead rabbits are present, as this can create bacterial aerosols.
Protecting domestic pets involves ensuring they are on a veterinarian-approved flea and tick prevention regimen. Owners should prevent dogs and cats from investigating or consuming wild rabbit carcasses or other wildlife. If a pet is suspected of contact with a sick or deceased rabbit, a veterinarian should be consulted, especially if the pet develops a fever or other signs of illness.