ProMED-mail |

Published Date: 2003-08-21 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> E. coli O157, petting zoo - USA (PA): suspected
Archive Number: 20030821.2100

E. COLI O157, PETTING ZOO - USA (PENNSYLVANIA): SUSPECTED
*********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Sun 17 Aug 2003
From:ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer [edited]
<http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6552295.htm>

Zoo shuts children's areas due to illness
------------------------------------
The Children's Petting Zoo and the African farmyard at the Philadelphia Zoo
were temporarily closed yesterday, Sat 16 Aug 2003 because 2 children who
had visited there tested positive for a bacterial infection. Both children,
who tested positive for _ E. coli _ O157 earlier this month, have
recovered, said Gretchen Toner, zoo spokeswoman.

It is not known whether the children contracted the bacteria at the zoo.
But as a precautionary measure, Toner said the children's zoo and African
farmyard will remain closed for about a week until the Philadelphia
Department of Public Health and the zoo complete an investigation. The rest
of the zoo remains open -- even the camel rides, Toner said.

The children's petting zoo features pony rides, cows, sheep, and goats. It
also includes "Backyard Bugs," an exhibit that includes tarantulas and
cockroaches. The African farmyard, which opened this year, has an Anatolian
herding dog, Nubian goats, and a flock of Guinea fowl, Toner said.

"More than a million visitors come to the zoo every year, and their safety
is our top priority," chief operating officer Joseph Moore said in a
statement. "We take extensive preventative measures to make sure our
animals are healthy, making it unlikely that the zoo was the source of this
infection. But until we get more information on how these children got
sick, we want to continue to take every precaution," Moore said.

All 53 animals in the children's zoo and African farmyard are undergoing
tests, said Donna Ialeggio, one of the zoo's 2 staff veterinarians.

"All the animals that come in contact with visitors are screened twice a
year for _ E. coli_ . And if any animal appears unwell, it gets another
test," Ialeggio said. Ialeggio said the tests would take a minimum of 3
days, and possibly up to a week, to complete.

The _ E. coli_ bacterium naturally exists in the intestines of humans and
animals. But one of its forms, _ E. coli_ O157, can cause bloody diarrhea
and gastrointestinal problems in humans. The strain rarely causes illness
in animals. The pathogenic strain can cause the destruction of red
blood cells and kidney failure in the elderly and children younger than 5
years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {CDC], _ E. coli_
O157 causes about 73 000 illnesses and 61 deaths annually. Most cases of
infection are related not to animal contact, but to tainted food. _ E.
coli_ can be found on contaminated meat, especially ground beef, or fruits
and vegetables that have been in contact with tainted meat.

[Byline: Sam Wood]

---
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[It is not yet clear whether the strains of _E. coli_ O157 in these 2 cases
are the same and whether they were acquired at the petting zoo. Summertime
is barbecue time, and the ingestion of undercooked ground beef remains a
possibility in these cases, since no data is given in this regard. It
cannot be emphasized enough that if children visit a petting zoo,
appropriate sanitary precautions should be taken to assure adequate hygiene
and minimize transmission of the pathogen. The following are CDC
recommendations in this regard:

"Farm Animal Contact
<http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneoutbreaks/pulication/recomm_farm_animal.htm>

Reducing the Risk for Transmission of Enteric Pathogens at Petting Zoos,
Open Farms, Animal Exhibits, and Other Venues Where the Public Has Contact
With Farm Animals

Information should be provided. Persons providing public access to farm
animals should inform visitors about the risk for transmission of enteric
pathogens from farm animals to humans, and strategies for prevention of
such transmission. This should include public information and training of
facility staff. Visitors should be made aware that certain farm animals
pose greater risk for transmitting enteric infections to humans than
others. Such animals include calves and other young ruminant animals, young
poultry, and ill animals. When possible, information should be provided
before the visit.

Venues should be designed to minimize risk. Farm animal contact is not
appropriate at food service establishments and infant care settings, and
special care should be taken with school-aged children. At venues where
farm animal contact is desired, layout should provide a separate area where
humans and animals interact and an area where animals are not allowed. Food
and beverages should be prepared, served, and consumed only in animal-free
areas. Animal petting should occur only in the interaction area to
facilitate close supervision and coaching of visitors. Clear separation
methods such as double barriers should be present to prevent contact with
animals and their environment other than in the interaction area.

Handwashing facilities should be adequate. Handwashing stations should be
available to both the animal-free area and the interaction area. Running
water, soap, and disposable towels should be available so that visitors can
wash their hands immediately after contact with the animals. Handwashing
facilities should be accessible, sufficient for the maximum anticipated
attendance, and configured for use by children and adults. Children aged <5
years should wash their hands with adult supervision. Staff training and
posted signs should emphasize the need to wash hands after touching animals
or their environment, before eating, and on leaving the interaction area.
Communal basins do not constitute adequate handwashing facilities. Where
running water is not available, hand sanitizers may be better than using
nothing. However, CDC makes no recommendations about the use of hand
sanitizers because of the lack of independently verified studies of
efficacy in this setting.

Hand-mouth activities (e.g., eating and drinking, smoking, and carrying
toys and pacifiers) should not be permitted in interaction areas.

Persons at high risk for serious infections should observe heightened
precaution. Farm animals should be handled by everyone as if the animals
are colonized with human enteric pathogens. However, children aged less than
5 years, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised persons (e.g.,
those with HIV/AIDS) are at higher risk for serious infections. Such
persons should weigh the risks of contact with farm animals. If allowed to
have contact, children aged less than 5 years should be supervised closely by
adults, with precautions strictly enforced.

Raw milk should not be served."

This is not the same petting zoo that had the same problem in 2000 -- see
reference below. - Mod.LL]

See Also