URBANA — Several squirrels have been found ill or dead in Urbana, and public health officials have confirmed that at least one tested positive for tularemia, a rare but serious bacterial disease.
The disease can be transmitted to other animals, including humans, through contact with or consumption of sick animals. It can also spread through tick or flea bites.
“[We] take tularemia seriously, as it is a potentially life-threatening but preventable illness,” said Robert Davies, Director of Planning and Research at CUPHD, in an email.
While rare — only three human cases have been reported in Champaign County since 2015 — the outbreak follows a more than decades-long trend of springing up just before the summer months during rodent breeding season.
Rabbits are the most common host of tularemia, according to Carol Maddox, emeritus professor of veterinary microbiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Tularemia, which is caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, affects species differently. For cats, it poses a significant risk, Maddox said, but for dogs, it’s often fairly mild. Symptoms for cats can include high fever and oral ulcers; for dogs, they may have decreased appetite.
The disease can also be transmitted through contact with animal blood, or even by inhaling contaminated dust. Maddox recalled a man who died in 2011 after unknowingly mowing over a rabbit’s burrow and breathing in the kicked-up residue.
“It’s a very serious infection… and it is zoonotic. Humans can catch it,” she said.
Davies said the disease does not spread from human to human. The department is focusing on public education as its primary response, emphasizing that CUPHD coordinates with veterinarians and state partners but does not collect or test animals directly.
Public health officials advise residents to take standard precautions: use insect repellent, wear long sleeves in grassy areas, check for ticks after outdoor activities and keep pets supervised.
“Tularemia is just one of several vector-borne diseases we tend to see more often during the warmer months,” Davies said, also citing Lyme disease and West Nile virus as seasonal concerns that can be prevented in the same way.
While there’s no vaccine for tularemia in humans or animals, early detection and antibiotics can be effective. Maddox highlighted advancements in diagnostics, including rapid PCR testing.
“We now have Polymerase Chain Reaction DNA detection… that’s cut our time for culture from three days down to less than 24 hours,” Maddox said.
Still, prevention remains key. Maddox recommends keeping cats indoors and dogs leashed.
“You might never know your cat caught a rabbit,” she warned.
Though tularemia cases are sporadic, both C-U Public Health officials and veterinary experts stress ongoing caution through the summer months.
“We usually see it in May and June,” Maddox noted, attributing this year’s earlier-than-usual detection to warmer temperatures.
C-U Public Health advises people to contact health providers or veterinarians with questions and visit the CDC’s website on tularemia for additional information.