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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| CDC: Castrating Lambs With Your Teeth May Make You Sick |
| 2011-12-09 |
| h/t Instapundit Keep your mouth closed, please. At first, we thought this week's issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Report was utterly run-of-the-mill. We skimmed a report on leisure-time activity among adults with and without arthritis and an update on flu activity before we were stopped in our tracks by something we'd never seen before: a case report on Campylobacter jejuni infections contracted by two people working on a sheep ranch, apparently because they used their teeth to castrate some lambs. C. jejuni is frequently transmitted by fecal-oral contact or consuming contaminated food or water. And infections are commonly associated with eating poultry or unpasteurized dairy products, the report notes. But these two workers didn't report consuming those food items. Nor did they share food or water. Their common bond: of the 12 people who worked to castrate and dock tails of 1,600 lambs at a Wyoming sheep ranch in June, they were the only two who reported using their teeth as castration aids. And, during the event, "a few lambs reportedly had a mild diarrheal illness," the report says. C. jejuni was later isolated in two lambs. The men, too, came down with diarrhea, and one also suffered from abdominal cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting. One was hospitalized for a day; both fully recovered. Lab testing suggested the infection by C. jejuni was from a common source. The ranch owners and employees, the MMWR notes, were advised to use standard methods for castrating the lambs -- not including the teeth. Kerry Pride, an author of the report and veterinarian, tells us via email that "this method has and does occur." It was more common in the 1800s, but still goes on, Pride says, speaking for herself and not the CDC. |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #11 It's why Rantburg is my first and last stop of the day... And people cite wikipedia... Bagh! |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-12-09 21:05 |
| #10 The standard deviation for the range of topics covered at Rantburg U has just increased dramatically. It's why Rantburg is my first and last stop of the day... |
| Posted by: Beavis 2011-12-09 20:35 |
| #9 Wash their testicles? Sounds kind of kinky. It would be better to shave them. |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-12-09 18:52 |
| #8 Uh, uh, OBVIOUS THINGYS ARE OBVIOUS??? gut nuthin. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-12-09 18:45 |
| #7 then a fifth man goes behind it with a pair of bricks. Q. Wouldn't that hurt? A. Not if you keep your thumbs out and hold the bricks this way. |
| Posted by: tipper 2011-12-09 14:50 |
| #6 Important note, wash lamb testicles before you bite them off. The standard deviation for the range of topics covered at Rantburg U has just increased dramatically. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2011-12-09 13:33 |
| #5 You need a 6-th man, Camel's BITE. IAnd spit, bit that's minor) |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2011-12-09 13:11 |
| #4 Important note, wash lamb testicles before you bite them off. Personally, this sounds nicer than the traditional Arab way of castrating camels. Four strong men grab the camel's legs, then a fifth man goes behind it with a pair of bricks. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-12-09 12:46 |
| #3 yeah, I held my....um...ya know, it hurt for me to look at so much. Poor Mike Rowe though, he probably got some lamb-poo in there. |
| Posted by: Charles 2011-12-09 12:33 |
| #2 I saw an episode of "Dirty Jobs" where Mike Rowe actually did this. Not for the faint of stomach. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2011-12-09 10:48 |
| #1 Well there go my plans for the week end????? |
| Posted by: OCCD 2011-12-09 10:40 |