Case Study

Dimitri G. was the main provider for his family, his wife and two children. His job as one of the village hunters kept him plenty busy, but allowed him to bring home some of the things he caught. He was late 20s, around 27. He was a Caucasian male of Swedish decent, living in the quaint little village of Algot. On this particular day in late October, he had caught the trail of a rabbit.  He decided that it would be the perfect end to his day. Once it was caught he took it home to his wife. He skinned and sliced the rabbit as she prepared a pot to boil it in. However, he made one fatal mistake. This hare was infected with Tularaemia. While cleaning this hare, he touched his face allowing the contaminated blood to enter his body.

Two days after Dimitri didn’t feel so well. Based on his symptoms of aches and pains through his body, sore throat, high fever, and chills his wife assumed it was the flu. She made him stay home from work and in bed. Then a rash appeared along with ulcers and open sores on his body. At this point they were not sure what it was. Dimitri was miserable and felt weak. None of the other family members had gotten sick. After a week they decided to take him to the doctor.

After looking over the patient, the doctor was not sure what exactly he had. It was no flu because of the extra symptoms. The patient’s illness had hung on longer than any other flu as well. He asked the family for a history of what he had eaten in the few days before he became sick. There it was a rabbit. After running a few tests, the doctor concluded that Dimitri had Tularaemia. Tularaemia is not contagious so the rest of the family had nothing to worry about. It is easily treated and cured with antibiotics.

A few weeks later Dimitri was back to his job, happy and healthy. He no longer had to worry about Tularaemia now that he was immune.