[oldironman]

I don't know if this will help much, but here are 2 email replies I got from a U.S. biologist and a Texas biologist. I will bold the first one, and underline the 2nd.
Of the parasites that afflict the cottontail, "bots" are probably the most well-known. These worm-like parasites are actually the larval stage of the bot fly. The fly lays eggs on the fur of rabbits. When these eggs hatch, the immature larvae bore into the skin of the rabbit. They develop there just under the rabbit's skin until they are approximately
1.5 inches long. They then burrow out of the skin and fall to the ground, where they burrow into the soil, pupate, and later emerge as adult flies. Infestations are greatest in warmer weather and usually disappear by late fall or early winter. The parasite is not harmful to the rabbit, in most cases, and is not dangerous to humans. Hunters will
often discard rabbits that are infested. However, there really is no reason to do so. The larvae are restricted to the skin and do not damage the muscle tissue or otherwise affect the edibility of the meat.
When you examine the outside of a rabbit you may notice wart-like growths found primarily on the feet and legs. This is a tumor of fibroma. It is caused by a virus transmitted by the mosquito. These tumors are not fatal to the
rabbit and are not harmful to man. When cleaning rabbits you may notice white, bladderlike cysts inside the body cavity. These cysts contain larval dog tapeworms which are not harmful to man. It is important that you do not feed raw rabbit meat to your dogs or cats.
Of course you will also have ticks and fleas attached to the rabbit as well. They will abandon the rabbits body as it cools for the nearest warm-blooded host.
A disease that is deadly to rabbits is tularemia. Tularemia is caused by a bacterium, Pasteurella tularensis, which is transmitted to the rabbit by ticks or fleas. A number of wildlife species and humans can contract the disease, but it usually occurs in rabbits and rodents. The disease
is always fatal to the rabbit, with most succumbing to the illness within 10 days following onset. As mentioned, humans can contract the disease. However, it responds quickly to antibiotics and is not considered a serious health threat if treated promptly. The following precautions will greatly reduce your risk of exposure:
Do not harvest rabbits that appear sluggish or do not run.
Wear rubber gloves when dressing rabbits.
After removing the gloves, wash your hands with antibacterial soap.
Cook rabbit meat thoroughly. Do not eat rare or undercooked rabbit meat.

In Texas there is no closed season on rabbits. While a lot of folks say don't hunt rabbit until a freeze this is a fallacy. It does not decrease the parasites or potential diseases that affect rabbits. The precautions listed above should be taken no matter when rabbits are hunted.



Sincerely
John H. Young
Mammalogist
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
3000 IH 35 South Suite 100
Austin, TX 78704
Ph: 512-912-7047
Fax: 512-912-7058

AND
I apologize for our delay in responding, your request was initially sent elsewhere in CDC and we just received it yesterday. The finding of white spots on the liver of a rabbit may be indicative of tularemia; however, not all rabbits infected with tularemia will have these white spots. In addition, rabbits without the white spots may be infected with other organisms. For example, people have gotten bubonic plague in the United States when skinning rabbits. We would recommend taking appropriate precautions, including wearing gloves and eye protection when cleaning hunted rabbits.

I hope this answers your question. Please let us know if you have additional questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Kevin Griffith
Bacterial Diseases Branch
CDC