NBC17 reports state health officials have determined that the source of the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak came from the Kelley Building at the North Carolina State Fair.

The Kelley Building is one of the permanent buildings where sheep, goats, and pigs were housed and competed in livestock show.

NBC-17 was the first to report a direct link to goats at the State Fair and the E. coli outbreak. A family of six in Sampson County who was diagnosed with E. coli reported they visited the goats while attending the State Fair.

The N.C. Division of Public Health says 27 individuals were identified as having contracted E. coli after attending the State Fair in October.

State Epidemiologist Megan Davies said the illness is likely related to animal contact, however the study did not implicate any specific animal or breed. Health officials say no other exhibits, foods or activities were linked to the E. coli infections.

In 2004, 108 cases of E. coli were reported, all linked to the petting zoo at the State Fair. After the 2004 outbreak, Fair officials installed handwashing stations with sinks, soap and water around the petting zoo and near animal exhibits.

A table of petting zoo related outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.

After numerous outbreaks, U.K. health watchdogs are getting somewhat more serious about the risks posed by petting zoos and have banned a zoo from allowing the public contact with animals after its lack of hand-washing facilities posed a potential risk to the public.

Unfortunately, a child in Lancashire was already stricken with E. coli O157 after visiting the Dalton zoo in the summer.

South Lakes Wild Animal Park was served with a prohibition notice under the Health and Safety at Work Act after failing an inspection carried out by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and Barrow Borough Council’s environmental health on August 18.

The North West Evening Mail reports inspectors found the zoo had failed to comply with new hygiene guidelines.

Prohibition notices can only be served when an inspector believes activities on at a premises involve or will involve a risk of serious personal injury.

The tourist attraction was ordered to stop letting people have contact with its animals until it had cleaned areas of the park and could provide handwashing facilities.

Zoo owner David Gill said he had taken immediate action after the notice was issued by installing 30 new handwashing areas.

Dr Nigel Calvert, NHS Cumbria’s associate director of public health, said: “The case of E coli was not definitely linked to the facility.

A list of petting zoo related outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.

We’ve been immersing ourselves in Brisbane culture. Saturday it was an Aussie rules football game – my second favorite sport because of the speed and violence aggressiveness after ice hockey. Basketball and baseball would be far more interesting if there was full body contact.

Today was a state holiday in Queensland so we joined 70,000 others for People’s Day at the Ekka – the Royal Queensland Show, originally called the Brisbane Exhibition and usually shortened to Ekka.

Ekka runs over 10 days and is similar to American-style state fairs or the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto: bad food, hucksters of various wares, a large midway, and the best livestock from across the state.

There was a petting zoo, a short of controlled-chaos the like of which I’d never seen (right, exactly as shown) where hundreds of parents and their kids roamed in a large pit with goats, sheep, cattle, and shelled out some cash to feed the animals from a cup. Kids were crying and falling in poop, animals were scarfing down food, parents were interested in the free hat upon departure from the enclosed area.

Both hand sanitation and handwashing stations were available at the departure point, which was good, although reminders could have been more graphic: the compliance rate appeared low.

Other areas of the livestock pens included cattle and goats, where contact was encouraged but no handwashing signs or facilities were available. One budding entrepreneur – the dude in the black hat -- offered cuddle-a-goat for $1.

“You two go in and I’ll give him $1 and take your picture.”

“That will be $2 for two.”

No handwashing. Bad.

A table of petting zoo related outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.

Sorenne’s day care had its own petting zoo on Thursday with sheep, ducks, and others. I’d been in Brisbane less than 24 hours and had to finish marking papers so didn’t stick around to observe the interactions, but I attempted to ensure the kids were going to be washing with soap and water, not just sanitizer, and that staff would be watching to minimize the hand-on-ruminant-and-into-mouth move favored by 2-year-olds.

A petting zoo in southern Sweden closed its doors after it was confirmed that at least one foal was infected with salmonella.

Although one park visitor was first suspected of contracting salmonella after petting the zoo's salmonella-infected pony, authorities are now saying there is no information about humans having been infected.

In the U.K., a popular visitor attraction Cruckley Animal Farm has been permanently closed after an outbreak of E. coli.

The family-run farm, at Foston-on-the-Wolds, had been a firm favorite with school children and families for almost quarter of a century.

But now owners John and Sue Johnston have taken the decision to close the 60-acre site permanently after several visitors to the farm fell ill and a Health Protection Agency investigation launched.

It is believed that six cases of E. coli O157 have been linked to the farm and Mr Johnston said they are working closely with the HPA to help them with their enquiries.