Dangerous critters at petting zoos are microscopic

State confirms link between E. coli outbreak and petting zoo animals:
"E. coli being transmitted by direct contact with farm animals has only been documented a few times, all since 1996. It's usually linked to bad food."

I was surprised that this has been treated rather lightly. These stories keep popping up all over the US and even in Canada and New Zealand. One common denominator is that the young victims tend to be city or suburban kids - farm kids seem to exhibit some level of immunity and besides they aren't much attracted to petting zoos if they spend part of everyday interacting with cows, horses, sheep, goats, and so on.

This Sun-Sentinel story says there have been no deaths associated with these outbreaks, but an animal rights website lists about a dozen outbreaks in three countries and notes three deaths as well as numerous children put on dialysis for renal failure and one who had to have a kidney transplant. The site also lists some outbreaks of salmonella, and even one of rabies, associated with petting zoos and animal exhibits. Click here, the material on petting zoos is near the bottom of the page.

The CDC, The NYS Department of Agriculture, and Penn State Ag Sciences have all warned of the need to take precautions for safety at petting zoos. Click here for an article on the subject from the pediatrics section of About.com.