PORTLAND, Maine — An E. coli infection claimed the life of a 20-month-old toddler on Monday, and another is in critical condition at Maine Medical Center battling the same illness.
The common link between the cases is that both children visited a petting zoo at a local fair.
As the state investigates to determine the source of the E. coli, physicians are reminding the public about safety measures that can help prevent such infections.
Jon Guay of Poland says he took his son Colton to the Oxford County Fair on two separate days during the third week of September.
"And part of that normal family fun day was to go visit the animals in the petting zoo," Guay says.
Within a week, Colton became ill with coldlike symptoms. When he started to have bloody diarrhea, Guay says their doctor admitted Colton to the hospital.
"And that started essentially a week of terror and panic as we tried to figure out what was going on with our son," he says. "And we later figured out that he contracted HUS."
HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, is a toxin that's produced by E. coli that causes kidney failure, says Dr. Dora Ann Mills, the vice president of clinical affairs at the University of New England and a former director for the Maine CDC.
Mills says E. coli are part of the normal bacteria in human and animal intestines, but "some are very pathogenic, meaning they can cause illness- and can cause very severe illness. Particularly those types of E. coli you can find in other animals besides humans."
Food, including undercooked beef, is a common source of E. coli infections in humans, but animals can also be a source.
Guay suspects the petting zoo, because While Colton was being treated at Maine Medical Center, Guay met another family whose son is also battling HUS. After comparing notes, Guay says the petting zoo was the common link.
"We even compared the food we ate at the fair, and nothing seemed to match," he says.
State veterinarian Michele Walsh says one of the best ways to prevent E. coli infection from animals it is to wash hands after touching them.
"We'll continue to try to make this message fresh and new and make sure facilities are readily available at all of these animal exhibitions," Walsh says. "It's really important."
Jon Guay says his son did wash his hands after the petting zoo. But he still developed HUS, and the illness took his life on Monday morning.
The state CDC would not comment specifically on the individual HUS cases other than to confirm that it's investigating two cases from Androscoggin County.
As Guay waits for solid answers, he says he wants to raise awareness so that other parents can either avoid exposing their children to E. coli, or take preventive measures.
