Victorian health officials say the source remains unconfirmed as they investigate two HUS cases reported in the state this year.
MELBOURNE, Australia — A 3-year-old girl has died after developing a life-threatening complication of a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection, weeks after her family said she visited a petting farm in Victoria and interacted with animals.
The child died Aug. 31 after spending six weeks in intensive care with hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, according to her family and Australian health officials. The illness caused kidney failure and a serious brain injury, her family said. Victoria health authorities have investigated animal-contact settings as possible sources of the infection but have not determined where the girl contracted the bacteria or established a common source connecting her case with another HUS case reported this year.
The girl’s family, which has asked not to be publicly identified, said she visited a farm in July where she held, rode and petted animals before becoming ill. She was later hospitalized as her condition worsened. Her family said the prolonged illness placed enormous strain on the child and those caring for her. Health officials have confirmed that she had HUS associated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, commonly shortened to STEC.
Victoria Deputy Chief Health Officer Clare Looker said progression from an STEC infection to HUS is “very, very rare.” Victoria typically records between one and five HUS cases a year, Looker said, and two cases had been reported in the state so far in 2026. Officials have not identified a common cause between those cases. Petting zoos were among the settings examined during the public health investigation, and Looker said authorities had risk-assessed the locations involved and taken appropriate control measures.
Australian broadcaster 7NEWS identified the farm visited by the girl as Rain, Hayne and Shine Children’s Farm in Balnarring, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula southeast of Melbourne. A second young child who had visited the same farm earlier in the year also developed HUS and kidney failure. That child survived after receiving intensive hospital treatment. Health authorities have stressed that the two visits do not establish that either infection originated at the farm, because STEC can spread through several routes.
Victoria’s health department investigated the Balnarring farm and required changes that included additional handwashing facilities, according to 7NEWS. Farm owner Ian Hayne said the business installed the requested facilities and complied with the department’s measures. The owners expressed condolences to the girl’s family. Authorities have not announced plans to close the farm, and Looker said closing one facility would not eliminate the broader risk because the bacteria can be present in many farm animals.
STEC refers to strains of Escherichia coli that produce Shiga toxins. Australian and Victorian health authorities say the bacteria can live in the intestines and feces of animals, particularly cattle, without making the animals appear sick. People can become infected through contaminated food or water, direct contact with farm or petting-zoo animals, contaminated environments or close contact with an infected person. The infection can cause abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may become bloody.
In a small number of infections, HUS can develop and damage red blood cells and the kidneys. Young children are among those at increased risk of severe complications. Victoria classifies HUS as an urgent notifiable condition, requiring health professionals to report suspected or confirmed cases so public health investigators can examine possible sources and determine whether other people may be at risk. The Australian Centre for Disease Control also describes HUS as a potentially life-threatening complication of STEC infection.
Looker said Victoria had recorded 179 STEC notifications so far in 2026, compared with 158 at the same point in 2025. She said the rise followed a broader increase in detections since 2023 and may partly reflect increased testing and improved laboratory methods. The number of STEC notifications is much larger than the number of HUS cases because only a small proportion of infections progress to the severe syndrome.
Health officials have not announced a confirmed exposure that caused the girl’s infection or a common source for Victoria’s two HUS cases this year. The Department of Health has said the animal-contact settings examined during its investigation were assessed and control measures were taken. The investigation and monitoring of STEC and HUS notifications remain ongoing.
Author note: Last updated September 6, 2026.