By Ethan Covey
Cases of tularemia, a rare bacterial zoonotic disease, have increased sharply among both humans and animals in Minnesota during recent years (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2025;74:227-229).
From 2000 through 2023, the state reported a median annual rate of one human infection and two animal cases of the disease. During 2023, cases among animals increased substantially—to 20—although no human cases were reported. Cases continued to increase during 2024, with five human cases and 27 animal cases reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Board of Animal Health.
While rare, tularemia is reported in most U.S. states. However, the disease has been less commonly reported in Minnesota.
“This report highlights how humans and animals can get tularemia even in states where the disease is less common,” said lead author Maria Bye, MPH, a senior epidemiologist in the Zoonotic Disease Unit of the Minnesota Department of Health.
“People should be aware of ways to prevent the disease in themselves and their pets, including using EPA-registered insect repellent when outside, avoiding contact with wild animals and avoiding mowing over small animals,” Ms. Bye said. “Many people would not consider mowing the lawn to be a potential risk for getting sick.”
All the humans infected with tularemia were hospitalized and no deaths occurred. Among the animal cases, 78% occurred in domestic cats, 19% in domestic dogs and one case (4%) occurred in a wild rabbit.
“There is still a lot to learn about tularemia. We don’t know why we observed an increase in animal and human tularemia cases in 2024,” Ms. Bye noted.
“We suspect climate plays a role but need to explore further,” she added. “Minnesota has tularemia ‘hot spots’ where we have seen multiple human and animal infections over the past few years. More research exploring factors contributing to continued disease transmission in these areas could help prevent future disease.”
The sources reported no relevant financial disclosures.
