AUGUSTA, Maine — The strains of E. coli that killed one Maine toddler and hospitalized another are identical, a top health official said Friday.
Maine State Epidemiologist Siiri Bennett said that in each case, the bacteria produced the same type of dangerous toxins that can cause a fatal condition, “making it highly likely that the cases acquired the illness from the same source.”
But Bennett stopped short of linking the cases to a petting zoo at the Oxford County Fair, which ran through Sept. 19 in the town of Oxford, saying the state has taken samples from the fair — including from a barn, pens and in a livestock area — and tests will continue through next week.
That petting zoo has been the only reported link between the cases. Parents of both children have said that after separately visiting the fair, the children developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that can cause kidney failure and is usually linked to E. coli infection, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The strain identified in the two boys’ cases, known as O111, is one of several that can cause illness.
On Monday, 20-month-old Colton Guay of Poland died of the condition, his father said in a Facebook post. Myles Herschaft, a 17-month-old boy from Auburn, has been recovering at Maine Medical Center in Portland. He remained in fair condition Friday, but faces a “long hospitalization,” according to a fundraising page.
E. coli is most commonly transmitted by consumption of contaminated food or water, but it can also be contracted through contact with farm animals. The bacteria commonly live in the digestive systems of humans and other mammals. People typically contract the bacteria by coming in contact with animal feces and then eating or touching their mouths with contaminated hands.
While many strains are harmless, some produce dangerous shiga toxins, which the Maine CDC said were present in these cases.
In Maine, 26 cases of shiga toxin-producing E. coli have been confirmed in 2015, causing six cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, compared with 33 cases last year that resulted in one diagnosis of hemolytic uremic syndrome.
While E. coli sickens approximately 265,000 people per year in the U.S., only about 100 die, according to North Carolina’s health department. Maine has recorded one E. coli-related death since 2001, when the state began tracking serious forms of the illness, said John Martins, a spokesman for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome affects 5 to 10 percent of those diagnosed with E. coli-produced shiga toxin, according to the U.S. CDC. Early symptoms of the syndrome include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, pale skin and unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth. Neurological problems also may develop, including seizures.
Doctors recommend cooking meat and washing produce thoroughly to fend off foodborne E. coli, as well as washing hands after touching food or live animals.
The bacteria can spread to fruit and vegetables through fertilizer or contaminated water.
“We live in an agricultural state and I think it’s going to be a little bit inevitable, but no matter what, wash your hands and maintain good hygiene,” Bennett said. “It helps protect you against influenza, the cold, as well as diseases such as this.”
People with compromised immune systems, such as young children and the elderly, are more likely than others to develop severe illness from E. coli and hemolytic uremic syndrome. While most people recover from that complication within a few weeks, some develop kidney failure that leads to permanent damage or death.