Animal lover dies six days after being scratched by a trapped rat she was trying to free

By Beth Hale

Tragic: Carol Colburn died six days after she was scratched by a rat

A mother-of-three paid with her life for her love of animals.

Carol Colburn, 56, rushed to help a rat trapped in her garden bird feeder.

But she scratched her hands and contracted a rare and deadly infection from the animal. She died in hospital less than a week later.

An inquest heard that Mrs Colburn had ignored her husband Peter's pleas to wear gloves. He had even tried to pull her away from the wire feeder.

It was only after she cut her hands that she left the rescue to her son Ross, 24, who used gloves.

But Mrs Colburn, of Brighton, had already contracted Weil's disease, which is caused by bacteria found in rats' urine.

The disease can be treated if caught in time, but neither Mrs Colburn nor her family realised she had been infected.

It was not until four days later, on May 6, that she developed flu-like symptoms.

Two days after that, she was taken to the A&E department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

But her condition deteriorated rapidly and she died of a heart attack within hours.

Consultant Dr Steven Barden said: 'When she was admitted she was suffering from severe jaundice and flu-like symptoms but was able to hold a conversation.

'When she told me she lived near a railway line and often came into contact with wild animals, I was reminded that my father lives near the same line and often comes into contact with rats. That's when I began to consider she was suffering from leptospirosis, also known as Weil's disease.'

Tests on post-mortem samples confirmed his suspicions.

In a second shattering blow to the family, Mr Colburn, also 56, became desperately ill with lung cancer and died two months later.

Peter Colburn died of cancer two months after his wife succumbed to Weil's disease

The deputy coroner for Brighton and Hove, Arthur Hooper, recorded a narrative verdict, saying: 'She was one of those rare cases that succumbed to the severe end of Weil's disease.'

After the hearing, Mrs Colburn's children said their mother had devoted part of her garden to wildlife, including foxes and badgers.

Her daughter Katrina, 27, said: 'My mum spent hours feeding wild animals and wouldn't have given it a second thought.'

Her sister Zoe, 30, said: 'We didn't even know dad had cancer. But when mum died the shock meant the disease really set in. It was like he was dying from a broken heart.'

Microbiologist Marc Cubbon said the leptospirosis bacteria infects small mammals and rodents. It gets onto their skin via their urine and people with open wounds can easily be infected.