A German government health institute said Saturday that bean sprouts had led to a deadly bacteria outbreak that spread panic across Europe and claimed at least 33 lives.
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) confirmed test results announced on Friday that identified bean sprouts from an organic farm in the northern village of Bienenbuettel as carrying the virulent E. coli strain EHEC-0104, ending a frantic two-week probe.
The killer bug has left some 3,000 people ill across 14 countries and led to several bans on vegetables grown in Europe, which have cost farmers millions of euros in losses.
Test results on a packet of vegetable sprouts recovered from the rubbish bin of two sick people living in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia provided the first direct trail evidence for the bacteria.
A man notified authorities after suspecting he might be in possession of some of the dangerous sprouts. The Bienenbuettel farm has since closed down.
Article adapted from Channel News Asia.
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