A possible E. coli outbreak at Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm in Homer Glen, Illinois is being reported by the Will County Health Department. There are five lab confirmed cases of STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) that may be connected to visits to the farm.
Sean Conners, Director of Environmental Health at the Will County Health Department, said in a statement, “The Will County Health Department is committed to a thorough investigation to better understand how these infections occurred. We are working closely with Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm, and the owners and staff have been fully cooperative. As a precaution, the farm has voluntarily closed its petting zoo and is arranging for animal testing. These steps are part of our broader investigation as we look at all possible sources of exposure.”
Petting zoos have been the source of many E. coli outbreaks in the past, including an outbreak at the Arizona State Fair in 2025, and many cases in the 2010s, including an outbreak at the Minnesota State Fair in 2019 and one at Dehn’s Pumpkins in Dayton, Minnesota. The problem is that ruminant animals, such as goats, cows, and calves, can shed E. coli bacteria in their feces, and it can contaminate bedding, fences, the animal’s coat, and the surrounding area. Anyone touching those areas can pick up the bacteria. The animals do not get sick because they lack the cell receptors the pathogen uses to bind to cells in the body.
More issues include hand washing. If an animal attraction does not have hand washing facilities, and children can get the pathogen on their fingers, if they eat or even just put their fingers in their mouths, they can ingest the bacteria.
In addition, young children are much more liable to develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) when they contract an E. coli infection. This is a type of kidney failure that can cause permanent injury and death.
If you choose to go to a petting zoo, watch your children carefully. Do not let them touch their mouths or put their fingers in their mouths before they have had their hands thoroughly washed. Never eat after visiting animals until you have washed their hands.
Anyone who has recently visited Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm and who develops symptoms of an E. coli infection or HUS should see their doctor immediately.
If you visited that farm, even if no one in your family got sick, the county is asking you to fill out a confidential questionnaire. Your answers may help solve this outbreak.
