A dead disease is infecting beavers throughout Utah, which experts warn could become life-threatening to humans.
The disease, called tularemia, is also known as rabbit fever, hare plague and deer fly fever that can cause ulcers on the skin and swollen glands, among other symptoms if passed to a human.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has found the remains of nine beavers who died of tularemia, which has shocked experts because the last animal death connected with the disease was in 2017.
The disease is typically transmitted from a tick or deerfly bite, by coming into direct contact with the blood of infected animals, drinking contaminated water or ingesting undercooked rabbit meat from an infected animal.
Nine beavers were found dead throughout three counties in Utah, and tests showed they had contracted rabbit fever, also called tularemia
Symptoms of tularemia (pictured) include skin ulcers, swollen glands and can escalate to coughing up blood and fevers over 103 degrees Fahrenheit
The beavers’ carcasses were found across three counties including Utah, Summit and Wasatch and tests on three of the animals were positive for tularemia.
Although the disease is prevalent throughout much of the area, what’s surprising to local wildlife officials is the growing number of animals dying from it.
‘The bacteria that causes this infection is known to be in the environment in many parts of Utah; however, it is unusual to see this many animals die from it at once,’ said DWR veterinarian Ginger Stout.
This is the first time the disease has killed an animal in more than five years, with the last reported when a cottontail rabbit was found in the Kanab area of Utah.
Humans can become exposed to the disease if they receive a tick or deerfly bite in the summer or handle the infected animals they are harvesting in the hunting and trapping seasons.
The beavers were found in Summit, Wasatch and Utah counties and is the first time an animal was killed by the disease since 2017
Tularemia can spread to humans through deerfly or tick bites and can become fatal if left untreated.
Fewer than 300 cases of tularemia infections are reported in the US each year, and while there are antibiotics to treat the disease, it can become fatal if left unchecked.
Experts are concerned that the increased number of animal deaths from the disease could mean that the number of cases could rise.
This isn’t the first time the disease has been on the rise, as a 2023 study by Texas A&M University revealed that tularemia increased between 2011 and 2019 with 1,984 cases reported during that time.
Tularemia is a type of bacteria that is consumed by your immune system’s cells when it enters the body, and although the cells would normally destroy bacteria, instead it causes a multiplying scenario.
The bacteria duplicates inside the cells before destroying it and spreads throughout the rest of your body, similar to how a poison would trickle through the bloodstream.
It takes about three to five days for symptoms to appear after you have been exposed, but it could take up to two weeks for some people.
The symptoms can drastically escalate to a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, coughing up blood, severe abdominal pain, and hypoxia – blueish skin, nails or lips.
‘There is a concern about the possibility of tick-borne or fly-borne diseases, so it’s advised to take the necessary precautions by wearing protective clothing, using appropriate insect repellent and checking for ticks after being in brushy areas,’ Stout said.
