German health officials have reported 365 new cases - 100 of which are serious - of the E.coli outbreak as it continues to spread across Europe. The deadly bacteria - linked to contaminated vegetables - has killed 16 people and made more than 1,500 ill in Germany, Sweden and other countries since it surfaced in mid-May.
And health experts say more people are expected to inundate hospitals with the bug in the coming days.
The rise in the number of infections comes as Spain threatens to sue Hamburg for damages after the German city blamed Spanish cucumbers as the source of the bacteria.
Spanish farmers, who have been forced to throw away their produce, say they are losing around £175 million (200 million euros) per week in sales.
Spain Agriculture minister Rosa Aguilar, who on Monday ate Spanish-grown cucumbers to prove they were safe, said Madrid would be asking "for extraordinary measures to compensate for the huge losses imposed on the Spanish sector."
The exact source of the virulent strain of E.coli is still not known.
Dr Robert Tauxe, a foodbourne disease expert at the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said the outbreak was like nothing he had seen before.
"There has not been such an outbreak before that we know of in the history of public health," he said.
"It's extraordinary to see so many cases of the kidney complication from a foodbourne illness." Read More
