LEWISTON — State officials said Friday at a news conference that they have not yet linked a recent deadly E. coli infection to agricultural fairs or petting zoos, but they matched the same strain to two recent Androscoggin County toddlers and said they were working with state agriculture leaders on ways to alert the public to the potential connection.

The news conference was prompted by the death Monday of 20-month-old Colton Guay of Poland who reportedly contracted a disease known as HUS (hemolytic uremic syndrome) after being exposed to a specific strain of E. coli bacteria known as 0111.

Another boy, 17-month-old Myles Herschaft of Auburn is still battling a case of HUS from the same strain of E. coli, which is toxic. Both boys had petted farm animals at the Oxford County Fair in September, their families reported.

Maine Epidemiologist Dr. Siiri Bennett led the news conference, cautioning that state researchers had yet to confirm a source for the two boys’ infections. She said that while contact with farm animals carrying the bacteria is a possible source, other sources exist in the environment, including raw meat and food that has been contaminated. She said she didn’t expect lab results on the source of infections until next week.

Bennett said it was “highly likely that the (toddlers) acquired the illness from the same source.”

She noted that samples taken at the Oxford County Fair from the main barn, outside pens and livestock area will be tested for the strain found in the two boys.

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If someone were exposed to the toxic bacteria at the Oxford County Fair, that person would have displayed symptoms by now, Bennett said. The incubation period for HUS is up to 10 days.

Six cases of HUS have been identified in Maine this year, far more than in any single year since 2010, according to John Martins, spokesman for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Three cases of HUS were reported in Androscoggin County and three in York County.

The strain found in Guay and Herschaft has not been identified in the other four Maine cases this year, Bennett said.

Last year, one case of HUS was reported. In 2013, two cases were reported. Two cases were reported in 2012, two in 2011 and one in 2010.

Guay’s is the only death related to the HUS infections in Maine, Bennett said.

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Martins said that of the six cases this year, all involved children under the age of 5.

When exposed to certain strains of E. coli, individuals with underdeveloped or compromised immune systems can develop HUS.

Bennett said that because the investigation is not complete, she couldn’t say whether other common sources of exposure could explain how the two boys came in contact with the strain.

Martins said the state did not determine the source of exposure in the other four cases this year. He said the exact source of exposure is never determined in many cases of HUS.

Bennett said E. coli is common in the guts of all animals, including humans. When ingested, however, some strains can be harmful and can produce deadly toxins, she said.

Asked if more warnings should be posted at agricultural fairs, Martins, who was also at the news conference, said signs are required at all fairs, warning fair-goers to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer after touching the animals.

Re-emphasizing that there has been no confirmed link between the recent infections and agricultural fairs, Martins noted that discussions are ongoing with state agriculture officials about additional ways of educating and alerting the public before next year’s fair season about the potential exposure to E. coli. 

Bennett said an update on the investigation into the two most recent cases can be expected at the end of next week.

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