Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Not only have people lost their lives after being exposed to a perfume spray, but it was previously believed to have been linked to fatal cases of a rare tropical disease. But he also missed a family’s pet raccoon in Texas.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Control (CDC) reported that exposure to room sprays containing “gemstones” sold at Walmart last year killed one person in Georgia and another in Kansas, after developed schizophrenia, a difficult-to-diagnose infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria.
Two minimal cases have been recorded in Minnesota and Texas, genetically linked to the Georgia case.
The pet raccoon was also revealed to have died from exposure to the scented spray, according to a report released by the agency on Thursday.
This is the first reported case of a raccoon.
And in case you were wondering what happened, the raccoon broke a bottle of room spray and walked on the liquid.
About two weeks after the bottle incident, he developed signs that the US Centers for Disease Control and Control described as “acute neurological symptoms consistent with those of speech neuropathy.”
He died after three days.
The report said the family wrapped the animal in a cloth sheet and buried it on land owned by the family.
The Texas Department of State Health Services and the Environmental Protection Agency conducted all necessary tests on the ground around the burial site.
The samples taken were positive for bacterial DNA, but no viable bacteria were present and this did not cause environmental contamination.
And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Control said speech sickness isn’t usually passed from animals to people, but it can affect a wide range of animals, including reptiles, fish and other mammals.
As there is no environmental contamination, the bacteria should not be transmitted to other animals from the burial site.
In October of last year, the agency ordered people to stop using the product immediately and provided specific directions for disposing of suspected aromatherapy products.
