Spanish cucumbers suspected of causing 16 deaths in Europe have been cleared in laboratory tests, scientists said Tuesday, leaving the source of the deadly EHEC bacteria a mystery.
Laboratory tests established the organically grown cucumbers were soiled with E coli bacteria, but not the killer strain of EHEC found in the gut of more than 1,000 people in intensive care and suffering from kidney failure in Germany and nearby countries, DPA reported.
"The source of the infection remains unidentified," said Cornelia Pruefer-Storcks, health minister of the German city-state of Hamburg, where the lab tests on the two sets of samples were conducted.
She warned the public to avoid eating lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes until the cause had been discovered.
The death toll in the outbreak stands at 15 in Germany and one in Sweden.
Lab tests clear Spanish cucumbers in German deaths
Spanish cucumbers suspected of causing 16 deaths in Europe have been cleared in laboratory tests, scientists said Tuesday, leaving the source of the deadly EHEC bacteria a mystery.
