A number of diseases in Oklahoma may have been caused by swimming in water contaminated with rat urine, an expert suggests.
According to officials, several people have fallen ill after bathing in rivers and lakes near the eastern city of Bartlesville.
They are thought to have meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain or spinal cord caused by an infection.
Tests have already ruled out the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, which may be lurking in stagnant water, but infectious disease expert Dr. Thomas Russo said the cases may instead have been caused by a bacterium found in the urine of animals.
Health officials are urging people in the area not to swim in rivers and lakes in the area ahead of Memorial Day this weekend, the unofficial start of summer.
Among the people who contracted the disease in Oklahoma is Keegan Smith (pictured), who contracted it after swimming in Copan Lake
The map above shows Bartlesville, Oklahoma and the two locations where local reports have reported cases
Among those affected is young Keegan Smith, who fell ill after swimming in Copan Lake near Bartlesville.
His grandmother, Terri Smith, told FOX News 23, “He had a terrible headache, a fever, and a kind of purple rash on his chest.”
“It wasn’t just a normal headache for a little kid, it was a bad headache.”
She said he was being treated by doctors for suspected meningitis.
Tests revealed he did not have primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, caused by N. fowleri.
Another boy is also believed to have contracted meningitis after swimming in the Caney River, which flows from Copan Lake through Bartlesville.
dr Russo of the University of Buffalo in New York suggested to LiveScience that the boys were most likely infected with a bacterium found in the urine of animals – including rats, cattle and pigs.
Leptospira can lurk in these animals and then be excreted in the urine.
This can flow into bodies of water or be washed in by heavy rainfall, where the bacteria can remain for weeks.
When people swim in contaminated water, swallow it, or enter the water with an open cut or scrape, they can become infected.
The infection – medically called leptospirosis – occurs within a few days to a few weeks later.
Symptoms begin with a fever, headache, and muscle aches, but can progress to jaundice, difficulty breathing, and meningitis.
There are up to 150 cases of infection with the bacterium in the United States each year. However, the disease is rarely fatal, with about one in 50 patients dying from the disease.
Outbreaks have previously been linked to animal urine, including an outbreak in Israel in 2018 that resulted in 583 suspected cases after people swam in contaminated water. Leptospira bacteria in water were eventually linked to urine from wild boar and cattle.
dr Russo also suggested other explanations for the infections, including enteroviruses — usually behind stomach problems — lurking in freshwater and then being ingested, or listeria, a cause of foodborne illness that can also hide in water.
“If the water was contaminated with an enterovirus and swallowed, it could potentially cause meningitis syndrome,” said Dr. Russo.
The state health department also states that the area is currently experiencing a drought, which may result in increased levels of contaminants in the water.
Several people have fallen ill after bathing in rivers and lakes near Bartlesville in the east of the state. The two locations where disease was reported, at Copan Lake and Caney River (pictured above)
They are urging people to avoid swimming in rivers and lakes ahead of Memorial Day celebrations this weekend.
They said in a statement: “The [Health Department] investigates a range of diseases in the Bartlesville area.
“What we do know at this point is that some individuals with varying symptoms have presented to health care providers.
“Initial testing was negative for primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, caused by the organism Naegleria fowleri.”
They added: “We continue to monitor whether additional people in this cluster may have fallen ill.”
“While the investigations continue, we encourage people who feel ill to contact their doctor and discuss their symptoms.”
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