A 14-month-old baby girl is still in hospital after contracting E. coli from a Vancouver petting zoo.

Baby Jacklyn got sick four days after touching the animals at the petting zoo at the Pacific National Exhibition. Vancouver health officials say 10 other children and two adults were also infected.

Jacklyn was admitted to hospital on Monday, suffering from kidney failure. She had been throwing up, was lethargic and had blood in her stool. Her diapers were dry from dehydration.

The girl's mother, Caroline Neitzel, says she was careful letting her daughter touch the animals, even wiping her with moist towelettes after she pet them.

Laura Ballance, a spokeswoman for the PNE, said there has never been a case of E. coli linked to the petting zoo before. The PNE closed on Sept. 7 but symptoms can take up to 10 days to show up.

She said there were hand sanitizers and sinks at the exits of the zoo and signs reminding visitors to wash their hands.

This isn't the first time there has been an E. coli outbreak at the Exhibition. Several years ago, there was an outbreak linked to undercooked hamburgers.

E. coli is found naturally in the intestines of animals. It can be spread through physical contact between people, or by touching a contaminated surface.

It causes abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhea in most people. Sufferers usually recover after 10 days, but it can be fatal. Young children and the elderly in particular can develop serious complications like permanent kidney damage.

E. coli is the same bacteria that killed seven people due to a tainted public water supply in Walkerton, Ontario, in 2000.