Four more hamsters from an Ohio pet distribution center have tested positive for a virus blamed in the deaths of three New England organ recipients, the state agriculture department said Thursday.
The results mean that the center’s 4,000 small pets that include hamsters, mice and gerbils will be killed and disposed of to prevent the virus from spreading, said LeeAnne Mizer, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Last week, agriculture officials said that a pet hamster linked to the three deaths came from Mid-South Distributors of Ohio, leading to a quarantine and further testing of all the animals.
The distribution center sends hamsters and other “pocket pets” to stores throughout the East Coast.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced the hamster’s origin to the center in Norwich.
A doctor at a Rhode Island Hospital discovered the infection in April when two of her kidney transplant patients developed flu-like symptoms. One of the patients died.
Two patients in Massachusetts – one received a liver and the other received two lungs – also died within a few weeks of their transplants, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health.
The virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, or LCMV, is uncommon and rarely fatal to humans, usually producing flu-like symptoms. It can be dangerous, though, to anyone with a weak immune system.
Health officials believe the organ donor caught the virus from her pet hamster, and it was transmitted to the organ recipients.
Organs are routinely tested for many viruses but there is no commercial test for LCMV. Health officials have said it’s so rare that there are no plans to require testing.
The CDC tested the animals from the distribution center. Two came from a breeding center in Arkansas, Mizer said. Results of more tests are pending, she said.
Messages seeking comment were left at the distribution center, located about 60 miles east of Columbus.
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On the Net:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on LCMV:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/lcmv/qa.htm
AP-ES-07-28-05 1733EDT
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