It is also important to realize that petting zoos not found positive on a first visit may be found positive on a second visit.
The case study and the results of the other on-farm investigations highlight the risk of acquiring severe zoonotic infections during visits to petting zoos.
Five days before he became ill, the child had visited a small petting zoo.
Furthermore, he had visited a petting zoo 1 week before the onset of symptoms.
Two out of 11 other, randomly selected petting zoos (including one deer park) visited subsequently, tested positive.
During the initial field investigation at the petting zoo, samples of single fresh droppings from these animals and water samples from drinking troughs were collected.
Droppings collected in the other goat paddock and at other sites of the petting zoo were found to be negative again.
A 21month-old boy became ill 5 days after a visit to the petting zoo.
