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E. coli Probed at Sponsel's MN Harvest Petting Zoo

By PritzkerLaw

In petting zoo E. coli outbreaks, the primary mode of transmission is from feces of an animal to the mouth of the person by unconscious hand-to-mouth contact. That's because animal fur, skin, saliva and living areas can become contaminated with fecal germs.

Pritzker Olsen Attorneys, a national food safety law firm with expertise in all cases involving E. coli O157:H7, is investigating a possible outbreak at Sponsel's Minnesota Harvest Petting Zoo near Jordan, Minnesota.

Our firm represents a 3-year-old boy who apparently became infected with E. coli O157:H7 from a llama at the zoo and we believe there could be at least one more person who also is a victim.

The child spent 11 days this month in a Twin Cities hospital fighting hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a life-threatening complication of an E. coli O157 infection.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) found a strain of E. coli O157:H7 in the feces of a llama at the petting  zoo that genetically matched the strain of  E. coli O157:H7 that sickened the toddler.

The petting zoo has been voluntarily and temporarily shut down.  The apple orchard at Sponsel's Minnesota Harvest is not associated with this potential E. coli outbreak. The attraction is located about 12 miles south of Shakopee.

E. coli O157:H7 is one of the most common and most dangerous kinds of intestinal disease agents associated with animal contact. Pritzker Olsen also represents victims of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak at this year's National Western Stock Show in Denver.

'Despite state guidelines recommending sanitation measures to ensure the safety of visitors to petting zoos, it  appears the operator of this facility did not follow all of these guidelines,' stated Attorney Fred Pritzker. 

For a free consultation with an attorney regarding your E. coli poisoning case, please call 612-338-0202, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form., 

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on October 30, 2009 (boomark / email).