tularemia

or tu·la·rae·mi·a

[ too-luh-ree-mee-uh ]

/ ˌtu ləˈri mi ə /

noun Pathology, Veterinary Pathology.

a plaguelike disease of rabbits, squirrels, etc., caused by a bacterium, Francisella tularensis, transmitted to humans by insects or ticks or by the handling of infected animals and causing fever, muscle pain, and symptoms associated with the point of entry into the body.

Nearby words

tuktu, tula, tuladi, tularaemia, tulare, tularemia, tule, tule fog, tule perch, tulip, tulip chair

Origin of tularemia

1920–25, Americanism; Tulare, California county where first found + -emia

Also called deer fly fever, rabbit fever.

Related formstu·la·re·mic, tu·la·rae·mic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tularemia

Where better to test cultures of anthrax, typhoid, plague and tularemia than on an island in a sea in the middle of the desert?
The Aral Sea's Disappearing Act|Anna Nemtsova|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now that streptomycin is available, cases of tularemia in persons are easily cured.
A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha|E. Raymond Hall
No evidence of plague or of tularemia was reported after study of 494 small rodents obtained from 13 localities in the Park.
Mammals of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado|Sydney Anderson
"Tularemia, of course," he said, touching his lighter to the tip.
Temple Trouble|Henry Beam Piper

Actually, many kinds of mammals are quite as likely to have tularemia as are rabbits.
A Synopsis of the North American Lagomorpha|E. Raymond Hall

Medicine definitions for tularemia

tularemia

[ tōō′lə-rē′mē-ə ]

n.

An infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis that chiefly affects rodents but can also be transmitted to humans, in whom it causes intermittent fever and swelling of lymph nodes.

Science definitions for tularemia

tularemia

[ tōō′lə-rē′mē-ə ]

An infectious disease characterized by intermittent fever and swelling of the lymph nodes, caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. It chiefly affects wild rabbits and rodents but can also be transmitted to humans through the bite of various insects or through contact with infected animals.