Investigators seeking source of E. coli that killed boy, 3, at Aurora day care

Health officials testing other kids at same day-care

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 24, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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The Aurora day-care facility attended by a 3-year-old who died Friday of an E. coli bacteria infection was unlicensed, so it was never inspected on how it handled food or changed diapers, health officials said Tuesday.

Twenty-one other youngsters attended the same private home day-care center as the child who died of kidney failure from complications of the bacteria, said Dr.

Richard Vogt, executive director of the Tri-County Health Department.

"We're working to test those 21 kids as we speak," Vogt said Tuesday.

While it will take a few days to get the test results back, he said a few of the kids have mild gastrointestinal upset, Vogt said.

"But they're all getting better," he said.

Investigators still are trying to determine where the boy picked up the bacteria, saying it wasn't necessarily at the day-care center.

While there are likely many situations where someone takes care of two or three kids on weekdays without being licensed, this particular day-care center has an average of 10 children a day, Vogt noted.

"It isn't small," he said, and presumably should have been licensed.

Licensed day-care centers get surprise visits from inspectors at least once a year, Vogt said.

Some parents aren't aware that day-care centers need to be licensed and others "choose not to be aware," he said.

Investigators also are trying to find the exact strain of the E. coli 0157 H7 bacteria found in the dead boy's body. But Vogt indicated it likely won't turn up as a particularly virulent strain.

"We know that several types of 0157 H7 can cause the complication," he said. "I don't think we're dealing with a superstrain. It could be just an unfortunate circumstance."

scanlon@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2897

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