E.Coli in bunny poop?

[Breezekoz]

Hey guys,

I've been sick recently with E Coli being the culprit. I was recently told by a health care provider that rabbit poop can contain the bacteria and humans can get it from cleaning up after them. Is this possible? I have two bunnies.

Thanks guys!!

 

[Blue eyes]

I think that health care provider is exaggerating the risk.

I found this info:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/ecoli.html

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria that normally is an important part of the healthy intestinal tracts of humans and animals. However, there are some kinds of E. coli that are harmful and can cause disease.

The most common type of E. coli infection that causes illness in people is called E. coli O157,...
Animals that can spread E. coli O157 to humans include:

• cows, especially calves
• goats
• sheep
• deer.

and this you might want to click and read the context - it's part of a discussion:
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1527833/rabbit-manure-and-e-coli

digdirt - dig a little further - re rabbits, your link leads to:
"....O157:H7 was not detected in any of the samples"
" ....Neither Salmonella nor E. coli O157:H7 was detected"
one study found that rabbits could be infected with a different strain of E.coli than the one that's caused problems recently

Escherichia coli is the normal gut bacteria of ALL mammals, including humans, and is largely harmless - enterohemorrhagic E. coli serotype O157:H7 is a particularly troublesome strain that has been the cause of all the food-borne illness problems in recent years, particularly with undercooked meat, because it [O157:H7] is found almost exclusively in the systems of intensively grain fed cattle .... the very first known occurance of this strain was found to have come from contaminated ground beef - meat can become contaminated during slaughter, and organisms can be thoroughly mixed into beef when it is ground - bacteria present on the cow's udders or on equipment may get into raw milk - water and soil contaminated with bovine fecal material can transfer the bacteria to field crops that are eaten raw

it's believed possible that pigs and wild ruminants [deer, etc] may harbor O157:H7 if they've picked it up grazing contaminated ground, but COWS are the problem, so make sure you cook all meat [especially ground] to 160°F minimum, and make sure you don't contaminate other foods, kitchen surfaces or utensils with uncooked meat

so NO Gary, your rabbits don't normally have problematic organisms in their Bunny Poo, and you should have no qualms about using it in your garden or compost, but hand washing is always a good thing

Bill

I also noticed in some of the other articles I read that the same risk exists for dog poo too.
But no matter how you cut it, if you are handling the poo (from rabbit, dog, or guinea pig, etc) with your bare hands and then not washing your hands but handling food and eating it, or licking your fingers, then you may run the risk of infection. The risk is categorized as very low (1 on a scale of 10) for older children and adults, and low (2 on a scale of 10) for the immunocompromised or very young children.
https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/files/2008/04/M2-Rabbits-Owner.pdf

 

[Breezekoz]

I think that health care provider is exaggerating the risk.

I found this info:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/ecoli.html

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacteria that normally is an important part of the healthy intestinal tracts of humans and animals. However, there are some kinds of E. coli that are harmful and can cause disease.

The most common type of E. coli infection that causes illness in people is called E. coli O157,...
Animals that can spread E. coli O157 to humans include:

• cows, especially calves
• goats
• sheep
• deer.

and this you might want to click and read the context - it's part of a discussion:
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1527833/rabbit-manure-and-e-coli

digdirt - dig a little further - re rabbits, your link leads to:
"....O157:H7 was not detected in any of the samples"
" ....Neither Salmonella nor E. coli O157:H7 was detected"
one study found that rabbits could be infected with a different strain of E.coli than the one that's caused problems recently

Escherichia coli is the normal gut bacteria of ALL mammals, including humans, and is largely harmless - enterohemorrhagic E. coli serotype O157:H7 is a particularly troublesome strain that has been the cause of all the food-borne illness problems in recent years, particularly with undercooked meat, because it [O157:H7] is found almost exclusively in the systems of intensively grain fed cattle .... the very first known occurance of this strain was found to have come from contaminated ground beef - meat can become contaminated during slaughter, and organisms can be thoroughly mixed into beef when it is ground - bacteria present on the cow's udders or on equipment may get into raw milk - water and soil contaminated with bovine fecal material can transfer the bacteria to field crops that are eaten raw

it's believed possible that pigs and wild ruminants [deer, etc] may harbor O157:H7 if they've picked it up grazing contaminated ground, but COWS are the problem, so make sure you cook all meat [especially ground] to 160°F minimum, and make sure you don't contaminate other foods, kitchen surfaces or utensils with uncooked meat

so NO Gary, your rabbits don't normally have problematic organisms in their Bunny Poo, and you should have no qualms about using it in your garden or compost, but hand washing is always a good thing

Bill

I also noticed in some of the other articles I read that the same risk exists for dog poo too.
But no matter how you cut it, if you are handling the poo (from rabbit, dog, or guinea pig, etc) with your bare hands and then not washing your hands but handling food and eating it, or licking your fingers, then you may run the risk of infection. The risk is categorized as very low (1 on a scale of 10) for older children and adults, and low (2 on a scale of 10) for the immunocompromised or very young children.
https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/files/2008/04/M2-Rabbits-Owner.pdf

 

[Breezekoz]

Thanks Blue eyes you are always so helpful!!!

 

[Blue eyes]

You're welcome. I was thinking more about this and it occurred to me that tainted lettuce is probably a more likely source for e. coli -- whether from the grocery store, restaurant, or even a fast food burger (w/ lettuce, of course!).