Fla: State Probes Kidney Failure In Children After Petting Zoos [View All]

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http://www.local6.com/news/4309606/detail.html


State and county health officials are investigating the infections, said Bill Toth of the Orange County Health Department. Four children being treated at Florida Hospital Orlando visited zoos at the Central Florida Fair in Orlando, which ended March 13.


A fifth child who visited a petting zoo at the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, which also ended March 13, is being treated at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children & Women


The potentially dangerous kidney condition - hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS - is a rare complication arising from an initial infection most commonly associated with E. coli, a bacterium found in undercooked beef or contaminated food.


But Toth said not all the children are showing signs of E. coli exposure, and investigators are running fresh samples through additional tests. Officials said three of the children have tested positive for a different bacterium - Staphylococcus aureus - that can sometimes lead to the kidney problem.