Two people contracted cryptosporidiosis and more than a dozen others got sick after attending a local petting zoo March 31, state health officials said.

The Minnesota Department of Health issued an alert to health care providers Wednesday afternoon after laboratory tests confirmed two people picked up the parasite, which causes severe watery diarrhea.

The Humane Society of Goodhue County had a one-day petting zoo and photo shoot at its shelter on Bench Street. Fifteen visitors and staff members have been identified so far, all with symptoms consistent with crypto infection, according to a release from Goodhue County Health & Human Services.

Colleen LaVine, infection prevention coordinator for the Fairview Red Wing Medical Center, said it’s fortunate the humane society had everyone sign a roster, which officials used to track people down.

It might have been more fortunate had those running the petting zoo been aware of and taken proper precautions to limit the spread of bugs.

A table of petting zoo related outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.