A mother of two died after being bitten by her pet hamster.
The 38-year-old woman collapsed in front of a health center near her home in Spain where she was going with her two children, ages 17 and 11, to receive medical attention after the reported bite.
An autopsy is expected to determine whether the incident contributed to his death.
The unnamed woman, of Colombian nationality, fell to the ground near a health center in the city of Villarreal, on the Spanish east coast, north of Valencia, at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday night.
The respected local newspaper Mediterráneo said she was headed to A&E there after being bitten by the family rodent.
It is believed he was just meters from the front door when he collapsed.
A mother of two children died after being bitten by her hamster. A 38-year-old man collapsed in front of a health center in Spain (pictured)
The respected local newspaper Mediterráneo said the woman was headed to the emergency room there after being bitten by the family rodent.
Health workers rushed to her aid and attempted to resuscitate her, but were unable to save her life.
Police cordoned off the area before the body was taken away.
It is not clear whether an autopsy has been performed, but the results are not normally made public in Spain. A local court is coordinating an ongoing investigation into his death.
The National Police in Castellón, the provincial capital of which Villarreal is a part, could not be reached for comment this morning.
In rare cases, rabies and bacterial infections can be transmitted by the bite of an infected hamster.
Bitten owners are advised to wash the wound to reduce the risk of problems.
In the past there have been reports of people with allergies being taken to hospital with severe breathing difficulties after being bitten by hamsters.
In May 2007, a man was admitted to hospital in Redditch, Worcestershire, after reportedly going into anaphylactic shock following a bite.
Paramedic Stuart Philp was quoted as saying: “It was a very unusual situation. We received the initial call to an allergic reaction. but we didn’t realize it was from a hamster until we got there.
‘Allergic reaction calls are quite common, but usually these are wasp or bee stings or sometimes people allergic to medications.
‘When the crew entered, the man was unconscious. He was still breathing, but the situation was clearly life-threatening.
‘It is known that he is allergic to penicillin, so he keeps medicine at home.
‘They injected him with adrenaline in the form of Epi-pens, which many allergic people carry.
‘Normally I would only have to take one, but I had taken three and they had had no effect.
‘People react in different ways to different chemicals. It’s hard to say why this man reacted this way. It’s just the case of one particular hamster and one particular man; “It’s very unfortunate.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service said at the time: “The man suffered a serious and severe reaction to the bite.
‘If you have been identified as someone who may have serious reactions, it is vital that you and your family know what to do.
“The man’s actions in administering drugs to himself may have played an important role in his recovery.”
Wendy Barry, then secretary of the British Hamster Association, reacted by saying: “I have kept hamsters for 20 years and have never heard of this situation in this country.
‘Someone’s immune system would have to be very, very compromised for there to be such drastic consequences.
‘Hamsters do not normally carry any diseases that can affect humans. In fact, a hamster is more likely to contract something from a human.’
