Best in show: dog show leads to E. coli outbreak in Sweden

Posted: June 17th, 2011 - 8:52am by Doug Powell

Around 50 dog owners and several dogs are believed to have been infected with enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) following a dog show in eastern Sweden.

"We're right in the middle of investigating where the bacteria came from," Britt Åkerlind of the infectious disease unit of Östergötland County told The Local.

So far, two Swedes have been confirmed as infected by EHEC, one from Skåne in the south, and another from Gothenburg in the west.

"But we're expecting more confirmed cases to come in," said Åkerlind.

Those infected with the bacteria all attended a dog show near Norrköping in eastern Sweden held the first weekend in June.

Of the roughly 120 participants, who traveled from all over Sweden as well as from Denmark, Norway, and Finland, about half have come down with symptoms stemming from EHEC infection.

"We've also received reports that some of the dogs have had upset stomachs," said Åkerlind, who labeled the outbreak as "quite large."

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Categories: E. coli
Tags: best in show, coli, dog, e, ehec, food safety, Sweden

Comments

Sheila says:

This doesn't suprise me. Dried chicken, liver, hot dogs and other items are typically used to bait the dog into performing the way the handler wants. Dog handlers frequently put the dog's bait in their mouth, offer a bite to the dog, then put it back in their mouth. They may toss it onto the floor for the dog to look at and then the next dog comes by and eats it. If there was some bad bait, both handlers and dogs could easily be infected.

Posted on June 20th, 2011 - 9:41am

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