Leptospirosis from a soda can

[pfmedic]

It's amazing what we dont think about until it's too late.

A woman went boating one Sunday taking with her some cans of coke which she put into the refrigerator of the boat.
On Monday she was taken to the hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Unit.
She died on Wednesday.
The autopsy concluded she died of Leptospirosis.
This was traced to the can of coke she drank from, not using a glass.
Tests showed that the! can was infected by dried rat urine and hence the disease Leptospirosis.
Rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances.
It is highly recommended to thoroughly wash the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them.
The cans are typically stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without being cleaned.
A study at NYCU showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated than public toilets (i.e.) full of germs and bacteria.

So wash them with water before putting them to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.

 

[rescuecpt]

from http://www.snopes.com

A Wee Rat Problem

Claim: E-mailed accounts warn of death and disease caused by rat urine on soda cans.

Status: Multiple:
Rat urine is ordinarily toxic to humans: False.

A stock clerk in Hawaii died after being sent to clean up a storeroom containing rat droppings: False.

The potentially deadly illness Leptospirosis can be contracted through exposure to the urine of diseased animals (including rats): True.

Leptospirosis, better known as Weil's disease, is a potentially deadly illness caused by bacteria passed along to humans in contact with urine from diseased animals (rats, frogs, rabbits, snakes, pigs and dogs). It is picked up rurally from swimming in contaminated lakes and reservoirs. In cities, the bacteria are passed along more easily — people splashing through puddles in areas that have a large rodent population might contract the disease, and eating or drinking contaminated food and water is always a danger. Leptospirosis can also be contracted by rubbing eyes with dirty hands. People with open cuts and wounds are especially vulnerable to the bacteria, as it can be picked up almost anywhere.

As the rat population in cities grows, so does the potential for contact with this disease.

Leptospirosis typically causes aches, pains and fever that go away on their own. One in ten cases includes high fever, jaundice, meningitis (inflammation of the brain lining), acute kidney failure, internal bleeding and, occasionally, death. Victims can die if they develop serious kidney or liver complications. In extreme cases, death follows three to six days after infection. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.

In November 1998 leptospirosis killed eight people and hospitalized one hundred in China. In the same month in 1997, 22 people died from the same cause out of the 300 who were infected with it. In the United States, 100 to 200 cases of leptospirosis occur each year (with about half of those in Hawaii), according to the Center for Disease Control.

Another disease passed on through rat urine is hantavirus. It is transmitted to humans through breathing in particles of an infected rodent's urine, droppings or saliva. The virus becomes airborne when excrement dries. Early symptoms mimic the flu and can progress to respiratory failure. Since 1993, 21 deaths in the United States have been blamed on this disease.

In general, urine-encrusted soda cans are not the most likely purveyors of these diseases. Most cans of soda are packaged into cardboard boxes while still on the production line and thus aren't at any risk of contamination. Additionally, once bottlers have mixed soft drink syrup in with soda water and sweetener, they try to get the finished product to the consumer as expeditiously as possible. Soft drink bottlers don't warehouse large inventories of finished product for any length of time — freshness is everything, so the product is moved out quickly, leaving little opportunity for rodents to use the tops of cans as latrines. Nonetheless, it's still always a good idea to wipe off cans from exposed six-packs or those dispensed from drink machines, if for no other reason than to avoid picking up something passed on by the human handlers of the product.

 

[JJR512]

...In other words, you have a higher chance of being bitten by a shark while being struck by lightning in a crashing airplane.

 

[TTLWHKR]

Which is why I never fly...

Them damn flying sharks!

 

[Jon]

Thanks, Cap't- you saved me having to go to snopes.com

 

[pfmedic]

sounded legit to me. I will wash my cans anyway, heh.