Three Children Who Attended Grand Traverse County Fair Contract E. coli Infections
Grand Traverse County health officials are investigating a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 infections in three children who attended the Grand Traverse County Fair. The connection between the three children stops there, however. They did not eat food from the same vendors or tend the same animals.
The first two cases of E. coli O157 was reported to the health department last Friday. The third case was reported on Monday. Health officials have sent E. coli isolates taken from the three children to a lab for genetic testing to determine if they have the same genetic fingerprint. This would be evidence that all of the children were sickened by the same E. coli source.
Health officials have taken environmental samples throughout the fairgrounds, including water samples, to try to find the source of the outbreak. Extremely small amounts of E. coli bacteria can result in infection and serious illness, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure, brain damage, pancreatitis, blindness and death. The water was tested before the fair began, and E. coli bacterium were not found, but this does not mean it was free of the bacteria when the children visited.
The Grand Traverse County Health Department learned about two cases on Friday and a third on Monday, but officials haven’t been able to connect them except through the annual fair in Blair Township.
The children, who are not related, range from 5 to 15 years old. They did not work with the same livestock and did not eat from the same vendors, said Fred Keeslar, department health officer.
“We were hoping to find some common links, but didn’t,” he said.
Health officials have no positive proof the outbreak originated at the fair, but it remains the likeliest connection.
“There are lots of animals coming together and people touching animals that are kicking up dust,” Keeslar said.
Humans may be exposed to E. coli through contact with animal fecal matter. Symptoms include vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea, sometimes bloody diarrhea.
“It can lead to, in the worst case, renal failure and death,” Keeslar said.
Further testing is under way to pinpoint the specific type of E. coli. The best preventative measure is frequent hand-washing when in contact with barnyard animals.
Fair President Dana Cederquist could not be reached for comment.
Nancy Schroeder, secretary for the Northwest Michigan 4-H Livestock Council, said sanitation and hand-washing is part of annual plans at the fair.
“We have five hand-washing stations with running water and antibacterial soap. We also have hand sanitizer at the petting zoo,” she said.
Schroeder said fair-goers are encouraged to wash their hands before and after contacting animals, with warnings on banners hung at the fairgrounds, as well as signs posted at all barn entrances and in the restrooms.
“We try to make the public aware and we try to provide them with what they need on the grounds,” she said.
Darrel Robinson, president of the livestock council, said the bacteria associated with the ill children is a known risk with livestock and the reason warnings are prominently displayed across the fairgrounds. Additionally, fair planners participate in annual biohazard training in preparation for the fair, he said.
At least two of the stricken children are not involved with 4-H, though the third could have handled livestock, Keeslar said.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, also called STEC infections, can affect people of any age, though the very young and elderly are the most susceptible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
STEC live in the guts of cud-chewing hoofed animals, including cattle, goats and sheep, though the primary source for human illnesses is cattle. Other kinds of animals, including pigs and birds, sometimes pick up STEC from the environment and may spread it, according to the CDC.
Keeslar said all three infected Grand Traverse area children are expected to fully recover, though the 5-year-old remained hospitalized on Tuesday. The other two children were treated and released.
Officials tested water sources at the fairgrounds before the week-long event and on Tuesday took new samples to verify whether water became contaminated. Results are expected in several days, Keeslar said.
Health officials notified area doctors to watch for STEC symptoms in their patients because those who came into contact with the bacteria but didn’t become ill could still spread the infection to others, particularly those with weakened immune systems.
Tags: Michigan E. coli
