October 22, 2012 

Children have been exposed to animal borne illness since the dawn of time.  In the United States in recent years the incidence of infections related to animal exposure is slowly climbing.  

The recent outbreak of hemorrhagic E. coli at the Cleveland County State Fair has left one child dead and is a sobering reminder of the risks to some humans when in close animal contact. 

Not everyone exposed to the bacteria gets sick, but it is impossible to know in advance who will and whether there is an exposure risk. People at higher risk include those with weaker immune systems such as children less than 5 years old, the elderly and people with known immune system defects like HIV.  

What we do know is that these illnesses occur when humans come into contact with animal feces and transmit the microbes to there mouth or nose.  Children are especially at risk because of their penchant for touching there face thereby increasing transmission risk.  

Farm animals can transmit bacteria like E coli, yersinia and salmonella. These bacteria can cause severe life threatening infections that are difficult to treat.  These animals often live where they defecate which raises the risk of carrying the bacteria around on their hooves or skin.  

According to the CDC:  

"you should thoroughly wash your hands with running water and soap after contact with them or after touching things such as fences, buckets, and straw bedding, that have been in contact with farm animals, adults should carefully watch children who are visiting farms and help them wash their hands well."

On the flip side:  There is ample evidence that exposure to domestic pets and farm animals early in life increases the development of immune tolerance, known as the hygiene hypothesis.  This hypothesis states that early exposure to microbes reduces the risk of allergic and autoimmune disease in the future.  

It appears that as with everything in life, there is a balance of exposure and safety. In 2012, that balance is very hard to ascertain. I used to let my dog lick my children when they were babies in an effort to stimulate their immune tolerance development. 

Ideally, heed the CDC mandate for safety and live well when around farm animals.  

See the link to the left for an in depth tour of the hygiene hypothesis.

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.