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"  On Tuesday, investigators cited a shipment of fenugreek \u2014 a clover-like seed used as an herb and grown into sprouts \u2014 that originated in Egypt as the most likely source of the recent ultra-toxic E. coli outbreak. Currently, more than 4,100 people in Europe and the U.S. have been infected following two E. coli outbreaks in Europe and authorities believe that the E. coli infections could continue. The Guardian reports that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced on Tuesday, &amp;quot;The analysis of information from the French and German outbreaks leads to the conclusion that an imported lot of fenugreek seeds which was used to grow sprouts imported from Egypt by a German importer is the most common likely link.&amp;quot; The lot of around 15,000 kilograms was sold to and distributed among 70 companies: 54 in Germany and 16 companies in 11 other countries in Europe, The Huffington Post reports. The agency has not ruled out the possibility of other tainted lots of fenugreek imported from Egypt between 2009 and 2011. These seeds could have been shipped to more countries than previously thought, including Austria, Britain, and Spain. More from Delish: Test Your Food Safety Smarts According to The San Francisco Chronicle, which spoke with Helge Karch, director of the Hygiene Institute at the University of Muenster in Germany, this particular strain of E. coli has been particularly strong and deadly because the &amp;quot;pathogen produces a poisonous byproduct called Shiga toxin and has the ability to stick together and stick to the gut.&amp;quot; This leads infected people to be more susceptible to developing serious kidney complications. One outbreak centered in Bordeaux; the other, more deadly outbreak originated in Germany, which resulted in 51 deaths (49 in Germany, one in Sweden, and one in the U.S.). All of the deceased had been living in or traveled to Germany. More from Delish: Make Your Kitchen a Safe Space The EFSA is taking measures urge the European commission to ensure that further consumer exposure to suspect seeds or raw sprouts grown from the tainted fenugreek is prevented. But this could prove difficult as fenugreek seeds are often dried, which allows the E. coli bacteria to survive for years. Reuters reports that the EU has enforced a ban on the import of some seeds and beans from Egypt into Europe that will last until October 31, 2011. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a37419/egyptian-fenugreek-seeds-blamed-for-e-coli-outbreak/>