Rabbits, Lyme & Tularemia
In the spring tick eggs hatch into larvae. During the summer the larvae feed on mice, squirrel, raccoon, rabbit and other animals.
Lyme Disease
Rabbits can experience Lyme disease symptoms and also be a host for ticks.
"Two rabbits developed erythema chronicum migrans at the site of inoculation, in one instance 2 days after injection of a tick organ homogenate and in the other instance, 17 days after feeding of infected Ixodes dammini ticks.
Spirochetes were seen in skin biopsy specimens of the second lesion with Warthin-Starry and immunoperoxidase stains. Spirochetes were also recovered from blood cultures of two additional rabbits 2 weeks post-inoculation."
Source- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC261456/
Tularemia
(aka Rabbit Fever)
Ticks can pass Tularemia to mammals (including humans). In most susceptible mammals the clinical signs of Tularemia include fever, lethargy, anorexia, signs of septicemia and possibly death.
Animals rarely develop the skin lesions associated with Tularemia that are seen in people. Subclinical infections are common and animals often develop specific antibodies to the organism. Fever is moderate or very high. Tularemia bacillus can be isolated from blood cultures at this stage.
Tularemia can cause the face and eyes to redden and become inflamed. Inflammation can spread to the lymph nodes, which enlarge and may suppurate (mimicking bubonic plague).
Lymph node involvement is accompanied by a high fever. Death occurs in less than 1% if therapy is initiated promptly. Infection in domestic rabbits is not common.
More information on the diagnosis, symptoms and treatment of Tularemia in humans:
https://sites.google.com/site/marylandlyme/tick-borne-diseases/tularemia
Last Updated- July 2018
Lucy Barnes