German Tests Reveal Sprouts Not E.coli Source

Bean sprouts from an organic farm in Germany are not the source of an E.coli outbreak which has so far killed 22 people, preliminary test results have shown.

Initially authorities feared bean sprouts from a farm in the Uelzen area, between the northern cities of Hamburg and Hannover, could be traced to infections in five German states.

The agriculture ministry said 23 of 40 samples from the sprout farm suspected of being behind the outbreak have tested negative for the strain of E. coli bacteria responsible for the outbreak.

A wider test will now be carried out on samples of older sprouts and packaging from the farm.

The farm bean sprout result comes as the death toll in Europe increased to 22.

Germany's health minister has admitted the country is struggling to cope with the number of people suffering from E.coli.

Daniel Bahr said Germany was facing a "tense situation with patient care" adding that some hospitals had been moving patients with less serious illnesses in order to handle the surge of people with the deadly strain of the bacteria.

One woman has talked about her experience when she was admitted to hospital with suspected E.coli.

Nicoletta Pabst, a 41-year-old from Hamburg, said: "When I arrived, there were at least 20 other people and more kept coming in.

"All of us had diarrhoea and there was only one male and one female toilet."

At a news conference in Hamburg, state health minister Cornelia Pruefer-Storcks said local officials were looking at ways to prevent a looming shortage of doctors.

"We want to discuss with doctors about whether those who recently retired can be reactivated," she said, adding that medical staff in Hamburg are battling exhaustion.

The deadly bacteria has made more than 2,000 people ill in 12 countries - all of whom had been travelling in northern Germany.

Sweden has reported over 50 cases, including one death, and around 14 people in the UK are being treated.

The World Health Organisation has said the strain is rare and has been seen in humans before, but never in this kind of outbreak.

Many of those infected have developed the disease haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a potentially deadly complication that can affect the kidneys.

Doctors in Germany have appealed for blood donations to help with the treatment of E.coli patients.