Petting zoo, Snohomish County, Washington

A press release by the Snohomish Health District, Communicable Disease Control (June, 2000) reported five cases of bacterial diarrhea caused by E. coli O157:H7 in children in Snohomish County in May 2000. Three of the children visited a petting zoo several days before they became sick. The fourth child did not visit the petting zoo, but was found to live on another farm where cattle were raised. MMWR weekly (April 2001) reported an investigation of the farm by Snohomish Health District ( SHD) and Washington Department of Health revealed that the children were allowed to touch young poultry, rabbits and goats. Children brought their own lunches and ate approximately 50 feet from the penned animals. The study also indicated that the animal stool samples collected from the farm tested negative for E. coli O157:H7.  The Health District believed that the three children visiting the petting zoo acquired the bacterial diarrhea due to a lack of adequate hand washing facilities available. MMWR weekly (April 2001) also reported that no signs were posted to instruct the visitors to wash their hands after touching the animals.