CAPE TODDLER CONTRACTS TROPICAL DISEASE; AMATEUR DETECTIVES UNRAVEL MYSTERY; GIRL NOW IS HEALTHY

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A team of amateur sleuths, who unraveled the mystery of a Cape Girardeau tot who contracted a tropical disease about two years ago, has attracted national media attention.

The detective work, which discovered the source of young Katie Wolz' infection, was published in a national magazine, "Ladies' Home Journal." The story will also be featured on a new CBS television series, "True Detectives."

Today, Katie is a healthy 3-year-old. She is the daughter of Kathy and Jay Wolz of Cape Girardeau.

A film crew from "True Detectives" is finishing a four-day shoot here for a segment about Katie's illness and the detectives who solved the mystery of the disease's origin.

When Katie was 14-months old, she developed diarrhea and a fever, not uncommon in children. But when Katie's fever shot up to 102 degrees, her mother called the doctor.

Dr. Jesse Ramsey examined Katie and although the child didn't appear seriously ill, he decided to test a stool sample, just to be safe.

A lab report revealed the mystery.

Katie was suffering from Plesiomonas shigelloides, (PS) a disease common in the tropics but very rare in the United States. How could she have contracted this disease?

A team of people including Katie's parents, her doctor, her babysitter, Marci Mann, and an investigator with the Missouri Health Department, Sue Tippen tracked down the answer.

While her daughter was sick, Kathy Wolz wasn't overly concerned about the source of the illness.

"I just wanted her to get better," she explained. "Then, once she started to get better, I wanted to find out what caused it so she wouldn't get it again."

At the same time, Sue Tippen with the state health department had received a report of the unusual infection and began investigating. She searched for a link between Katie and anything tropical.

Kathy Wolz said: "Basically it was just a case of narrowing down the possibilities. We hadn't been out of the country. The lakes we had visited were too cold to contain the bacteria. Katie didn't eat shellfish. There were no connections."

Tippen visited the Wolz' home, Katie's daycare center, and her babysitter's home searching for clues.

Marci Mann of Jackson babysat for Katie once a week. She and her husband, Kevin, have a dog, a cat and an aquarium with piranha. The fish were a possible link.

"But the fish were in a covered aquarium on the top shelf of a bookcase," Kathy Wolz said. "There was no connection between Katie and the fish."

Then, one night when the Wolzes were picking up Katie, Kevin Mann was cleaning the fish tank. It became apparent he was going to pour the tank water down the bathtub drain.

They had discovered the link.

When Kevin Mann cleaned the fish tank, he always poured the old water down the bathtub drain. Tests revealed the bacteria was present in the aquarium water.

Marci Mann always bathed Katie before sending her home because Kathy Wolz is allergic to cats. And young Katie loved to drink bath water and suck on wet washcloths.

Although Marci Mann cleaned the tub after the fish water was emptied into it, ordinary cleanser wouldn't kill the bacteria. Katie ingested the bacteria with the bath water and caught the disease.

The mystery was solved.

"We knew it was unusual," Kathy Wolz said. "They told me at the time it was the second reported case (of the disease) in the United States. I knew there would be some medical interest, but I never dreamed it would lead to all this."

Tippen tested other aquariums, both in homes and fish stores, around the state. About one-quarter of the tanks tested contained the bacteria.

Katie's illness was written about in a state health department journal and a publication by the Center for Disease Control.

Jay Wolz said: "Eventually that was how the physician in Massachusetts, who free lances for Ladies' Home Journal, found out about it."

A story about Katie appeared in the February 1991 issue of the magazine. Jay Wolz said researchers for the television show read his daughter's story in the magazine.

"This is the only case of PS that has been traced back to the original source," Jay Wolz said. "And that's what made it material for `True Detectives.'"

Mark Cole, who is directing the segment about Katie's story, said, "True Detectives is about real people who solve mysteries.

"It's not just criminologists and police detectives, but real people who are detectives," he said.

"Katie's story is very interesting. It was a medical mystery that was solved by numerous people the hometown pediatrician, the state health department, the mother and the babysitter."

Since Thursday morning, the film crew has been filming in Cape Girardeau. They taped at Katie's daycare, at St. Francis Medical Center's lab, at Dr. Ramsey's office and at the Mann's home.

The crew also interviewed Sue Tippen with the health department, and today they are scheduled to film at the Wolz' home.

The show utilizes dramatic recreations by the people involved. However, portraying Katie at 14 months is a set of identical twin "actress babies," cast out of St. Louis.

Cole said he didn't know when the series would begin airing. A pilot for True Detectives did air on CBS in December. "True Detectives" is produced by the same people who produce "Rescue 911."

When researchers from True Detectives called, Jay Wolz said: "Our first reaction `Do you really think this is interesting?'"

Kathy Wolz continued: "But we thought people might learn from the story."

Marci Mann agreed. "I hope people can learn something from this," she said. "So many people dump fish tank water in the bathtub or the sink. You never know what your fish might have."

Marci Mann still babysits for Katie, and she and her husband still have the piranhas. But now they dump the fishtank water outside.