(JP)Boy infected with leptospira bacteria / Hamster linked to rare illness

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Boy infected with leptospira bacteria / Hamster linked

to rare illness

 

Yomiuri Shimbun

Nov 20, 2001

 

An 11-year-old Osaka boy who kept a pet hamster is

believed to have contracted a life-threatening

leptospira bacteria infection from the animal, The

Yomiuri Shimbun learned on Tuesday.

 

Few cases of humans contracting leptospirosis have

been reported in recent years, according to doctors at

the Osaka City General Hospital, where the boy was

hospitalized.

 

As more people keep pets, there is a greater risk that

the bacteria can be transmitted from animals to

humans, said Masashi Shiomi, chief of pediatrics at

the hospital. " People should pay close attention to

their pets' hygiene, " he said.

 

Hamsters have become one of the most popular pets in

Japan, and as they are featured in a television

cartoon, they are especially popular with children.

 

The Osaka boy bought the hamster at a festival stall

in May, according to his family. Eight days later, he

was taken to a private hospital after running a fever

and suffering pain throughout his body.

 

He came down with ailments affecting his respiratory

system and internal organs and was moved to the larger

general hospital.

 

Although the boy suffered a heart disorder shortly

afterward, he recovered when doctors administered

emergency treatment and antibiotics. He went home

after being hospitalized for about a month.

 

When the doctors first saw the boy, they thought he

had contracted tuberculosis, according to the sources.

A blood test, however, revealed a large number of

leptospira antibodies.

 

Because the boy's hamster died after he was taken to

the hospital, it remains uncertain whether the hamster

was infected with the bacteria.

 

The details of the case will be revealed at an

academic conference to be held on Friday in Ube,

Yamaguchi Prefecture.

 

Leptospira is a spiral bacteria that replicates itself

in the bodies of rodents, and can be transmitted to

dogs, cats and cattle.

 

The bacteria, which is present in animal urine and

polluted water and soil, can be transmitted to human

beings via open wounds or mucous membranes. Humans

start to succumb to the disease about 10 days after

becoming infected with the bacteria.

 

When animals are found to be infected with leptospira,

their owners are required to report the infection to

authorities under a law on the prevention of livestock

infections.

 

However, under a law governing the treatment of those

infected, leptospirosis cases in humans need not be

reported. This makes it hard to pinpoint the infection

route.

 

Mochinobu Okamoto, a member of the Japan Small Animal

Veterinary Association specializing in such

infections, said dogs can be vaccinated against the

bacteria.

 

" There is no worry of a hamster being infected with

leptospira if you buy it at a proper pet shop, "

Okamoto said. " But there is a possibility that

hamsters may become infected if they are raised in

unsanitary conditions. "

 

Copyright 2001 The Yomiuri Shimbun

 

 

 

 

 

 

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