Two more kids have kidney infections after visiting petting zoo

Two more children have been stricken with life-threatening kidney infections after visiting petting zoos, officials at central Florida hospitals said Thursday.
At least nine children have come down with hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, after recently touching animals at fairs in central Florida - and the number of cases could grow."We do have some information that some outlying ERs have cases of diarrhea in children who have been to petting zoos," said Dr. Mehul Dixit, who is treating some of the children at Florida Hospital Orlando.Bloody diarrhea is a symptom of HUS, along with lethargy, anemia and decreased urine output.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.The hospitalized children all touched animals recently at area fairs, including the Central Florida Fair in Orlando and the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. They might have been exposed to the bacteria through the animals' feces, officials said.