Final answer:
The common name for rabbit fever is tularemia, not hantavirus. Tularemia is caused by Francisella tularensis, a bacterium often found in rabbits, and can be transmitted through various means such as tick bites and handling infected animal tissues. Hantavirus is a separate virus that causes different syndromes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Rabbit fever is commonly known as tularemia, not hantavirus. Tularemia is an infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis. This bacterium is primarily found in rabbits and can infect a wide variety of domestic animals. Humans can contract tularemia through several routes, including consuming contaminated meat, handling infected animal tissues, or being bitten by infected arthropods such as ticks and flies. It is also possible for humans to be infected via aerosol transmission, which can occur in a laboratory setting or potentially through the use of a bioweapon.
In contrast, hantavirus is a different pathogen that causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in North America and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in other continents. These viruses are typically transmitted from wild rodents to humans through inhalation of contaminated aerosols.