BERLIN (AP) — The foodborne bacterial outbreak that has hit
Germany and other European nations is unlike anything Western
experts have seen: 16 dead and more than 1,000 sick, including
nearly 400 suffering severe and potentially fatal symptoms. But
several days into the health threat, scientists remain unsure
what produce — and what country — is responsible. Investigators
across Europe were frantically trying to determine the scope of
the contamination by an unusual strain of the common E. coli
germ — and where in the long journey from farm to grocery store
the contamination occurred. German authorities pointed to a few
cucumbers from Spain, but further tests showed that those
vegetables, while contaminated, did not cause the outbreak. In
Germany, where the vast majority of deaths and severe illnesses
have been reported, officials said that investigations including
interviews with patients have shown that people were likely
infected by eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce. They are
warning consumers to a