Two children were hospitalised with kidney failure after contracting a severe bacterial infection linked to visits to the same petting zoo in Melbourne.
One of the children, aged three, has spent four weeks in intensive care and suffered permanent brain damage, while doctors are considering whether they will require a kidney transplant.
Another child, aged two, spent 17 days on dialysis after becoming seriously ill following a visit to the farm in May, The Age reports.
The cases come amid a surge in Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections across Victoria, with more than 160 recorded so far this year.
The bacteria can trigger haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a rare but potentially life-threatening condition that can cause the kidneys to suddenly stop working.
STEC is carried in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and can spread to humans through contact with contaminated faeces. Symptoms can include bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
A Melbourne mother said her two-year-old son became extremely unwell following a visit to the petting farm in May and she first thought it was gastro.
‘He had pretty bad vomiting – he couldn’t keep anything down, he had diarrhoea,’ she told The Age.
After finding blood in her son’s faeces, the mother rushed the boy to Frankston Hospital, where a blood test revealed he had HUS.
He remained on dialysis for 17 days and required two blood transfusions, but has since recovered.
The other child was still unwell.
‘The illness has impacted the child’s brain,’ she told The Age.
‘The kidneys haven’t recovered, and they aren’t sure if they need a transplant. The family are very upset that this happened once already, and then again to their child.’
She said petting farms should provide visitors with clearer information about the potential risk of infection.
Victoria’s health department has advised the petting farm to introduce additional handwashing stations and display warnings about the risk of infection.
‘The Department of Health investigates all reported cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) to identify potential sources of infection and prevent further cases,’ Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Clare Looker said.
‘An increase in notifications of Shiga toxin-producing and Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC/VTEC) is linked to significantly improved testing and reporting practices over recent years.
‘These infections can occasionally lead to haemolytic uraemic syndrome, particularly in young children and people who are immunocompromised.’
A similar outbreak struck customers of a south Sydney kebab shop in 2014, when five people contracted STEC E. coli.
The shop was temporarily closed after NSW health identified numerous food safety breaches, although testing failed to determine the source of the contamination.
