Farmer's son killed by 'rabbit flu' bug
Pastor Dale Morgan
Farmer's son killed by 'rabbit flu' bug*
By Amy Iggulden
(Filed: 21/08/2006)
UK - A farmer's son died of blood poisoning apparently caused by a dead
rabbit he had handled four days earlier.
John Freeman, 29, is believed to have picked up the bacterium
Pasteurella multocida through a blister on his thumb after a late-night
rabbit shoot. The next day he fell ill with a fever, which doctors
thought was flu, but he later collapsed and died in hospital.
The bacterium is commonly found in the mouths of cats and dogs and in
the sinuses of both wild and domestic rabbits, causing snuffles or
"rabbit flu". However, only "a handful" of humans are seriously infected
each year, according to the Health Protection Agency. It is typically
passed to humans through animal bites and can be treated successfully
with antibiotics.
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Some research suggests that it affects 20 to 50 per cent of those bitten
by dogs or cats, but deaths are "extremely rare" and caused when the
infection reaches the bloodstream, the HPA said.
Peter and Joan Freeman, Mr Freeman's parents, who run the 800-acre Hill
House Farm in Aspall, near Stowmarket, Suffolk, said: "We sat in
disbelief and shock in hospital as we watched him die in front of us. It
was heartbreaking. The bug that killed him was so rampant and invasive
that he really stood no chance."
Mr Freeman, a 6ft 5in former public school rugby player and the couple's
only child, went out shooting on Aug 1 and became ill at lunchtime the
following day.
With a temperature of 101F, he felt cold and was sweating heavily, but
was sent home by his doctor to recuperate from what appeared to be flu.
He returned to his GP's surgery the next day and collapsed as the doctor
made arrangements to admit him to Ipswich Hospital.
Mrs Freeman said: "There was nothing more they could do for him. The
consultant was with him all the time, but he was beyond help."
Doctors believed at first that he had died from E.coli food poisoning,
but a post mortem examination revealed that he had died of septicaemia
apparently caused by Pasteurella multocida, a cause of respiratory
problems in rabbits. There was no evidence of an animal bite, and Mr and
Mrs Freeman believe that the bacterium was passed from a rabbit through
a blister on their son's thumb.
"We just want to warn all country people that it is possible to get this
infection," said Mrs Freeman. "Most don't think twice about picking up a
dead rabbit, but they need to be aware of the dangers. People with pet
rabbits can potentially pick up infection as well."
In July 2003 Christine MacQueen, 63, of Wallingford, Oxon, died of organ
failure eight days after her cat bit her, passing on Pasteurella
multocida that caused septicaemia.
An HPA spokesman said: "The bacterium lives commonly in the mouths of
cats and dogs. It is highly preventable or treatable but [if wounds are
left] infection can start.
"It is when the infection travels to the blood that it can be fatal. It
is extremely rare for people to get it and even more so for them to die
of it." Judith Brown, the veterinary adviser to the Rabbit Welfare
Association, said: "Many animals carry this bacterium. People with pet
rabbits do not need to worry as long as they follow the normal standards
of hygiene."