Tularemia pneumonia in Washington, DC. A report of three cases with possible common-source exposures
W. J. Martone, L. W. Marshall, A. F. Kaufmann, J. H. Hobbs and M. E. Levy
In June 1978, three cases of tularemia pneumonia occurred in persons
residing in the Washington, DC, area. The patients, all men, became ill
three to four days after a brief session training their hunting dogs in an
undeveloped wooded area adjacent to a housing complex. One of the dogs,
which later died, had captured a wild rabbit during the training session.
All three men had handled the rabbit while familiarizing their dogs with
the rabbit's scent. The men had no other common exposure that was a likely
source of infection.
