Officials concluded last week that a Plant City-based company that ran petting-zoo exhibits at three fairs in Tampa, Orlando and Plant City during February and March was the source of a recent bacterial outbreak. Cows, sheep, goats and other animals harbor the bacteria in their waste.
There is now a twenty-seventh victim in the outbreak.
Another 45 cases are under investigation. The illnesses typically begin with mild to severe diarrhea and can progress to a potentially fatal condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. Officials say more confirmed cases are possible as laboratory testing continues.