Health authorities are investigating after the girl developed a life-threatening illness following a visit to a petting farm in Victoria.
MELBOURNE, Australia — A 3-year-old girl has died after spending six weeks in intensive care with a rare, life-threatening complication of a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection, with her family saying she may have contracted the bacteria while visiting a petting farm in Victoria.
The girl, whose family has asked that she not be publicly identified, died Aug. 31 after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, known as HUS. Her family said she suffered kidney failure and severe brain damage during her illness. Victorian health authorities have confirmed the HUS case and are investigating possible sources of infection, including animal-contact settings, but officials have not definitively established where she contracted the bacteria.
The family said the girl had visited a farm where she held, rode and petted animals before becoming ill. People reported that she was hospitalized for six weeks before her death. Her parents described the ordeal as a nightmare and said their daughter fought hard through the illness. Their account has drawn new attention to the rare but serious complications that can follow certain E. coli infections in young children.
Australian broadcaster 7NEWS identified the facility the child visited as Rain, Hayne and Shine Children’s Farm in Balnarring, southeast of Melbourne. The news organization reported that the Victorian Department of Health investigated the farm and required changes, including additional handwashing facilities. The farm complied with the requested measures, according to the report. Authorities have stressed that they cannot definitively link the girl’s infection to the property because STEC can be acquired through several routes.
Another young child who had visited the same farm also developed HUS, according to 7NEWS. The boy, identified by the outlet as Noah, suffered kidney failure and spent about three weeks in intensive care before recovering. Health officials said no common source has been formally established between the state’s HUS cases, and the presence of two illnesses following visits to the same farm does not by itself prove where either infection originated.
Victoria Deputy Chief Health Officer Clare Looker told reporters Thursday that progression from an STEC infection to HUS is “very, very rare.” She said Victoria generally records between one and five HUS cases each year and had confirmed two cases so far in 2026. Looker said petting zoos had been examined as part of the health department’s investigation and that officials had assessed the settings involved and taken appropriate control measures.
STEC, short for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, is a group of bacteria capable of causing serious illness. The bacteria can be carried by otherwise healthy farm animals and can spread to people through contact with animals or their environment, contaminated food or water, or close contact with an infected person. Victoria’s health department says infection can cause severe stomach cramps and diarrhea and, in some cases involving young children, can progress to HUS.
HUS can damage small blood vessels and cause serious problems including kidney failure. Victoria’s health guidance says children younger than 5 are among those at particular risk of developing the syndrome after certain E. coli infections. HUS is an urgent notifiable condition in the state, meaning health professionals must report suspected or confirmed cases so public health officials can investigate possible sources and risks to others.
Looker said Victoria had recorded 179 STEC notifications so far this year, compared with 158 at the same point last year. She said the increase may partly reflect greater testing and improved detection. Despite the investigation, she said authorities were not considering closing a single farm because the bacteria can exist in many farm animals and closing one facility would not eliminate the broader risk of exposure.
Rain, Hayne and Shine owner Ian Hayne told 7NEWS that additional handwashing facilities had been installed after the health department’s investigation. The farm’s owners expressed condolences to the girl’s family and said they did not want another child to become ill. The farm has operated for decades and told the broadcaster it had not previously been linked to this type of illness.
The girl’s family said she had also tested positive for RSV and parainfluenza while hospitalized, according to ABC News, but health authorities confirmed HUS associated with STEC as the serious condition at the center of the public health investigation. Officials have not released information establishing a precise exposure that caused her infection.
Victoria’s Department of Health continues to investigate HUS and STEC reports and has not announced a confirmed common source for the two cases recorded this year. Officials said animal-contact locations involved in the investigation have been risk-assessed and appropriate measures have been taken.