A Colorado family is suing PetsMart and a rat supplier after their son developed rat bite fever (RBF), following a bite from a newly acquired rat. Lawsuits seem to be increasingly common after zoonotic infections, which is probably more of a reflection of an increasing tendency for people to sue, not an increasing occurrence
Diamond pet food lawsuit
It’s not the first, and it’s a safe bet it’s not the last, but a lawsuit has been filed against Diamond Pet Foods in response to a case of salmonellosis in a New Jersey infant. The lawsuit claims (probably correctly) that the infant acquired Salmonella from contaminated dog food that was in the household.
Record settlement for pet store-associated infection
An Irish woman has won a record, multi-million Euro settlement after developing severe disease while working at a pet store. Patricia Ingle was a healthy 19-year-old when she was working in a Limerick, Ireland pet store. Then she developed psittacosis, an infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydophila psittaci, which she most likely contracted
Aquarium sued over child’s infection
The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga is being sued for $2.4 million by the parents of a child who allegedly acquired an infection after petting stingrays and sharks. The news report contains very little information, but the reference to "fish-handler’s bacteria" means the infection was presumably caused by the bacterium Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. This bacterium
Vets sued over MRSA
When I give presentations to veterinarians about infection control, I often talk about legal liability as one reason they need a good infection control program. I talk about the potential bad scenarios, such as someone getting an MRSA infection from an animal and then turning around and suing the vet. I usually say something like "I don’t