Will County health officials say E. coli cases linked to baby goat at Bengston’s petting zoo

E. coli cases linked to Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm in Homer Glen were connected to a baby goat at the farm’s petting zoo, the Will County Health Department said on Tuesday.“Advanced DNA testing has identified a close genetic link between bacteria found in people who became sick and bacteria collected from a baby goat at the farm’s petting zoo,” the health department said in a news release Tuesday.Health inspectors conducted an investigation into the petting zoo and food preparation operations after five cases of E. coli were initially linked to the popular pumpkin farm on Oct. 23. Bengston’s quickly shut the petting zoo to guests, but otherwise continued operations normally through the end of its season on Nov. 8. Bengston’s owners and health department officials enlisted the help of a veterinarian to take various samples from the animals in the petting zoo, which were then sent to a lab in Minnesota for testing. “These test results provide an important link in our investigation,” the cou