Leptospirosis Death Warning - Rat Urine on Soda Can Top

Summary:
Email claims that a woman died after catching Leptospirosis from dried rat urine on the lid of a soda can (Full commentary below.)

Status:
Real illness, but message contains highly improbable and misleading information

Example:(Submitted, September 2007)

Subject: FW: Toxic cans!!!! Please Read!!!

VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ

This incident happened in North Texas .

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.

Please forward this message to all the people you care about.
(I JUST DID)

Commentary:
The Leptospirosis Information Center dismisses this emailed warning as fake.

Exposure to urine from infected rats and other animals can indeed cause humans to contract leptospirosis. However, the chances of someone becoming infected in the manner described in this email are extremely slim.

©iStockphoto.com/ brentmelissa

An article about the warning on the LIC website notes:

First seen in 2002, these emails are entirely without substance, and have been used to send spam, transport viruses and simply to cause panic. The text of the email varies, but the most common version we've seen in 2005 is as follows:

[Copy of message similar to above example omitted]

The email evolves over time, and currently we are seeing a rise in circulation in the USA, referring to deaths in several states. If you receive one of these messages, please delete it and ignore what it says. You are more at risk of being hit by lightning while riding a camel than contracting leptospirosis from a commercial drinks container

The LIC article also states that:

Leptospira require constant immersion in water to survive, and so drying of the surface for any length of time would permanently kill the bacteria. Given that drinking containers are non-porous, surface moisture dries very quickly and cannot possibly contaminate the contents.

The organisms that cause Leptospirosis can survive outside the body of the original host, but only if favourable environmental conditions are present. An article on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources website notes that:

The bacteria prefer moist, slightly alkaline soil, stagnant ponds, and low-flow, slow-moving, slightly alkaline streams. In these conditions the organism can survive for several weeks.

Given these facts, it is highly improbable that Leptospirosis bacteria could have survived on the surface of the can lids long enough to infect the alleged victim.

Furthermore, the email implies that rat urine is always toxic. According to the message, "rat urine contains toxic and deathly substances". This implication is misleading and inaccurate. Contact with urine from diseased rats can certainly lead to illness in humans. However, this is because the urine carries bacteria associated with a particular illness, not because the urine itself is in some way inherently toxic.

The message also falsely claims that the information is backed up by a "study at NYCU". Apparently, "NYCU" is intended to be an acronym for New York University. However New York University uses the acronym "NYU" rather than "NYCU". In any case, I cannot locate any record of such a study being conducted by NYU. Another, almost identical version of the message (see below) claims that the "study" was conducted in Spain, rather than by the "NYCU".

As is often the case with such emails, the details supplied are extremely vague. The "victim" is not named nor is there any background information such as the name of the treating hospital or even the name of the town or city where the alleged fatality occurred. The message does specify "North Texas" as the region in which the "incident" occurred. However, a European orientated version of the message (see below) claims the incident took place in Belgium. Extensive research reveals no credible information about a death like the one described in the email. If such a death had occurred in the manner outlined, it would have undoubtedly received wide-reaching publicity from the mainstream media.

Given that soda cans may have been stored or handled in an unsanitary manner before they reach consumers, the message's recommendation to wash the top of cans is probably worth heeding. However the spurious and misleading claims in the email should not be taken seriously and the message should not be forwarded.

European version of the hoax:

Subject: FW: Coke anyone?

Charming........

This incident happened recently in Belgium.

A woman went boating one Sunday, taking with her some cans of coke which she put in the refrigerator of the boat. On Monday she was taken into ICU and on Wednesday she died.

The autopsy revealed a certain Leptospirosis caused by the can of coke from which she had drunk straight out of,not using a glass. A test 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 wash thoroughly the upper part of soda cans before drinking out of them as they have been stocked in warehouses and transported straight to the shops without with being cleaned.

A study in Spain showed that the tops of soda cans are more contaminated then public toilets i.e full of germs and bacteria. So to wash them with water is advised before putting it to the mouth to avoid any kind of fatal accident.

References:
The Leptospirosis Information Center
Soda cans and leptospirosis
Leptospirosis Description and Distribution
CDC Article: Leptospirosis
RAT RELATED HEALTH HAZARDS & DISEASES

Last updated: 26th September 2007
First published: July 2005

Write-up by Brett M. Christensen

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