HUS E. coli is a life-threatening disease that children can contract from exposure to pathogenc E. coli at petting zoos or other animal exhibits commonly visited in summer and fall by families on outings to apple orchards, pumpkin patches, festivals and fairs. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians sets a compendium of safety measures for animal venue operators to follow, but the health of children who touch animals, feed animals or even touch railings or enclosures comes down to handwashing and vigilance supported by the operators. In Minnesota, where state officials have investigated two sizable outbreaks of toxic E. coli infections at petting zoons in the past two years, the state Department of Health has published a Prevention Fact Sheet. It emphasizes two … [Read more...]
E. coli HUS Sickens Children in Oregon, Kentucky and Minnesota
E. coli HUS clusters targeting children have popped up in Oregon, Kentucky and Minnesota over the last month. A traveling petting zoo was found to be the source of an August E.coli outbreak in Minnesota that hospitalized three children and sickened 10 other people. Two of those hospitalized had HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, a life-threatening complication of E. coli infections that causes kidney failure, seizure, stoke and coma. Earlier this month, three children in Oregon and one in Washington were hospitalized with HUS. Health officials believe two of the cases are linked but have not pinpointed the source. The families of Brad Sutton, 5, and Serena Profitt, 4, spent time together before the children got sick. Brad remains hospitalized and has been receiving dialysis … [Read more...]
Did Zerebko Petting Zoo Provide Enough E. coli Prevention?
Petting zoo E. coli outbreaks like the one in Minnesota this summer have been studied in the U.S. for decades. A watershed outbreak 10 years ago at the North Carolina State Fair was the worst in recent history. A total of 108 case patients were identified, including 41 with laboratory-confirmed illness and 15 who experienced kidney failure as part of life-threating complication known as E. coli hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Within months after the North Carolina outbreak, in March 2005, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) published new recommendations for operators that are still viewed as important safety standards. At the time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was saying that its own control measures for petting zoos, published … [Read more...]
Salmonella, E.coli Cases in MN Linked to Contact with Animals
Salmonella and E.coli infections from contact with animals have been reported in Minnesota this summer. Sone of the illnesses were from pets, others were from petting zoos. Thirteen people who visited petting zoos at county fairs during July in Minnesota were sickened by E.coli. Lab test showed that source of the illnesses was the Zerebko Zoo Tran traveling petting zoo which made appearances at the Nashwauk 4th of July Festival, July 3-5 , the Polk County Fair, July 9-13; the Rice County Fair, July 15-20; and the Olmsted County Fair, July 21-27. Two of the 13 who were sickened developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure. Three Minnesotans were part of a 36-state Salmonella outbreak linked to pet bearded dragons. The lizards that are native to Australia … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. coli Investigators Solve Two Outbreaks In One Month
Minnesota epidemiologists have solved a pair of unrelated E. coli outbreaks in the span of a month, first linking Applebees restaurants in the state to infections of E. coli O111 and then proving that a traveling petting zoo put seven people in the hospital. The agency responsible for the disease sleuthing is the Minnesota Department of Health. "Without a doubt the Minnesota Department of Health stopped these outbreaks before other people could become infected,'' Minneapolis-based E. coli lawyer Fred Pritzker said. "They provide an invaluable public service.'' In the most recent outbreak, Zerebko Zoo Tran traveling petting zoo withheld its animals from the last two county fairs at which it was scheduled to exhibit in August, according to a health department news release. The … [Read more...]
Rice County Fair E. coli Cases Dominate Petting Zoo Outbreak
The Rice County Fair in Faribault, Minnesota, is where five people contracted E. coli poisoning in an outbreak that infectious disease experts from the Minnesota Department of Health have traced to a traveling petting zoo. The Rice County cluster of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses expanded to a total of seven case patients -- more than half of the outbreak total -- when the pathogen spread from an infected person or persons to two secondary case patients. Infection with E. coli O157:H7 is the primary cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the most common cause of kidney failure in children in this country. This syndrome usually involves prolonged hospital stays and is fatal in up to 5 percent of cases. In the Minnesota E. coli outbreak linked to Zerebko Zoo Tran traveling petting zoo, … [Read more...]
Petting Zoo E.coli Can Be Aerosolized
E. coli at petting zoos and animal exhibits can be aerosolized, contaminating environmental surfaces in the barn or display area and possibly food and clothing of patrons viewing the animals, research shows. That's why it's especially important that no food or drink be brought into the viewing area and that hand washing stations with soap and running water be located at the exits. The prohibition on food and drinks includes items brought from home such as water bottles, coffee mugs, baby bottles and sippy cups. It also includes other items that a baby or toddler may mouth, such as pacifiers and teething toys. This week a traveling petting zoo in Minnesota was linked to 13 cases of E. coli infections at four county fairs and festivals held during July: the Nashwauk 4th of July … [Read more...]
E. coli Outbreak at Olmsted, Polk and Rice County Fairs (And Many More)
An E. coli outbreak at the Rice County Fair has been linked to outbreaks at other county fairs and festivals during July including the Olmsted County Fair, the Polk County Fair and the Nashwauk 4th of July Festival. The source of the illnesses has been identified as the Zerebko Zoo Tran traveling petting zoo. Petting zoos and animal exhibits at fairs are common source of E.coli outbreaks. In 2012, an E.coli outbreak at the Cleveland County Fair in North Carolina that sickened 106 people. Sixty-four of them were children, one of whom died. In 2011, an E.coli outbreak at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh sickened 25 people, four of whom developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) which can cause kidney failure, seizure, stroke and coma. In 2004, a petting zoo at the North Carolina … [Read more...]
Zerebko Petting Zoo MN E. coli Outbreak One in a Long Line
The ongoing E.coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to the Zerebko Zoo Tran traveling petting zoo is just one in a long line of outbreaks at state and county fairs around the country in the last few years. The Zerebko zoo goes from fair to fair during the summer months, providing animals for children to see and play with. An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to that organization has sickened at least 13 people in Minnesota. Seven people have been hospitalized in this outbreak; two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and one person is still hospitalized. Zerebko Zoo Tran has been at the Rice County Fair, the Nashwauk 4th of July Festival, the Polk County Fair, and the Olmstead County Fair. In 2013, there were at least two outbreaks associated with petting zoos. An outbreak in … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. Coli Fair Outbreak Linked to Traveling Petting Zoo
An E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to various county fairs and events around the state of Minnesota has sickened at least 13 people. The illnesses were caused by a traveling petting zoo, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. That traveling group, Zerebko Zoo Tran, goes from fair to fair during the summer. All of the confirmed cases have infections with E. coli O15:H7 bacteria with the same genetic fingerprint. Two of those cases are secondary cases, who were exposed to people sickened in the primary outbreak. Environmental and animal fecal samples collected from Zerebko Zoo Tran yielded the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. The owner has been cooperating with the government's investigation and voluntarily withheld he animals from the last two fairs he was scheduled to … [Read more...]
