The Denver post reported that elk droppings have been linked by genetic testing with the E. Coli infection that made eight children in Colorado ill. The Story on Denverpost.com

In the town of Evergreen, elk, and consequently their droppings are all over the athletic fields and lawns. Officials have issued a warning to students not to eat outside and to wash their hands after being outside.

Personally I think that today’s suburban children have not been exposed to ENOUGH pathogens. We have become such a clean society with out anti bacterial gels and rigorous hand washing, that children have no exposure to microbial pathogens, and do not develop a beneficial microbial population that can combat intestinal disorders.

My three sisters and I grew up on the Family farm in close proximity to dirt, animal waste and animal secretions such as saliva, mucous and blood. When it came time for my sister to do lab work for her masters degree on Cryptosporidium (a pathogenic bacteria), she was the only student in the lab not to develop a digestive upset. Why? she was exposed at an early age and her digestive microbial population developed to resist pathogens such as Crypto.

We see it all the time in third world countries where local inhabitants can drink water that would sicken us in an instant. It is all about exposure. So get your kids outside at an early age so they can develop a natural immunity. Camping and hiking and hunting and fishing all will help expose them to bacteria good and bad. Just try to keep the elk pellets out of their mouth….