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 Investigations have been launched into the source and strain of the
bacteria that killed a 3-year-old girl in Lynden, Washington, and a
4-year-old girl, Serena Profitt, in Otis, Oregon.
A third child, Bradley Sutton, 5, has also tested positive for
E.coli and was being treated at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in
Tacoma, Washington, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Bradley became ill after his family traveled to Oregon over the
Labor Day weekend, where he swam in a pond and shared the same food
as 4-year-old Profitt, his relatives told investigators.
Profitt died on Monday from a form of kidney failure called
hemolytic-uremic syndrome, or HUS, which can develop in young
children or the elderly after exposure to certain extremely
dangerous forms of E.coli, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Medical officials believe Serena and Bradley's infections likely
stemmed from the same source since the children were playing
together and shared food at a restaurant.
The 3-year-old in Washington, who was not named, had no connection
to the Oregon exposures, but it was still unknown if a common food
item was involved, officials said.
"The thing we are trying to focus on is if there is a single source
that we can pinpoint and the public is at risk," said Dr. Greg Stern
of the Whatcom County Health Department.
Cultures from the Lynden patient were being analyzed by state health
officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he
said.
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Medical authorities in Oregon have not yet confirmed what strain or
source was involved, said Tim Prudhel, a spokesman for Lincoln
County Health and Human Services.
"It's a high-priority, active investigation," he said.
Possible sources of the E. coli infection include high-risk foods
such as undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk or juices, restaurants
at which cases have eaten, exposure to live animals and recreational
water.
Most of the multiple strains of E. coli are harmless or cause
relatively brief illness but a few, including O157:H7, can cause
severe illness and can lead to HUS, the Mayo Clinic said.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by James Dalgleish, Dan
Wallis and Sandra Maler)
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