News / Health & Wellness
PetSmart Sued for Hamster Believed to Have Caused Three Deaths
Nancy Magee sues PetSmart after her husband dies.
PetSmart Inc (NASDAQ:PETM) is being sued by the wife of man who allegedly died after receiving a liver transplant infected with a virus contracted from a hamster bought from PetSmart. The widow claims that it was the fault of the Pheonix based chain since the store did not warn customers of the rodent virus.
The lawsuite alleges that 54 year old Thomas Magee, as well as two other organ recipients, died after transplants from a woman who was infected with a virus from a hamster bought at the Warwick, RI location.
Spokesman Bruce Richardson would only comment that the virus was rare. "It's not a common disease in pets. It's not something that's tested routinely by us or others," he said.
According to a pathology report, Magee’s autopsy lists the cause of death as lymphocytic choriomeningitis, a viral infection most commonly found in mice and hamsters. It is a viral infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The virus normally causes flu-like symptoms in humans, although they can be fatal when the immune system is compromised.
The Rhode Island Health Department confirmed in May 2005 that three people have died after receiving organs from an infected donor. Magee was a double lung recipient from Massachusetts and a kidney transplant recipient from Rhode Island.
Nancy Magee claims that it was PetSmart’s responsibility to warn its customer about the virus. She is also suing on behalf of the couple’s three children. Representing her case is attorney Richard Bickelman.
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