A quarter of the new cases involved the hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication resulting from E. coli infection that affects the blood and kidneys, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute said.
The HUS outbreak, one of the largest of its kind, has been the main contributor to the deaths of some 17 people in north Europe, all of whom had traveled in northern Germany.
So far, more than 1,500 cases of E. coli/HUS have been reported in Germany alone and authorities have been unable to identify the source of the virulent strain of E. coli. Germany’s Consumer Protection and Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner deflected criticism on Wednesday that the government had falsely blamed Spanish cucumbers as the source of the outbreak after some tested positive for the bacteria.
“There were E. coli pathogens found on Spanish cucumbers,” Aigner told German television. “Therefore, per European regulations, a rapid alert needed to be sent out.”
Authorities in Hamburg said on Tuesday the E. coli found on Spanish cucumbers did not match the killer bacteria.
Spain said it was considering legal action against authorities in Hamburg for blaming its produce for the E. coli outbreak.
Spanish farmers say lost sales are costing them 200 million euros ($287.5 million) a week and the crisis could put 70,000 out of work in a country which already has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union.
In Germany, which has been hardest hit by the outbreak, Parliament has called a special meeting of its consumer protection committee to discuss emergency measures later in the day.
Aigner said scientists are working nonstop to find the source of the unusual strain of the E. coli bacteria that is believed to have been spread on tainted vegetables — and where in the long journey from farm to grocery store the contamination occurred.
"Hundreds of tests have been done and the responsible agencies ... have determined that most of the patients who have been sickened ate cucumbers, tomatoes and leaf lettuce and primarily in northern Germany," Aigner said on ARD television. "The states that have conducted the tests must now follow back the delivery path to see how the cucumbers, or tomatoes or lettuce got here."
In 1996, an E. coli outbreak in the United Kingdom caused 216 cases and 11 deaths.
The World Health Organization said 86 percent of those sickened in the current outbreak were adults, and two-thirds were women. It said it was unusual that more children weren't affected.
