Two people have been diagnosed in Britain with the killer E.coli strain that has already claimed two lives in Germany.At least 300 people are in hospital in the northern part of the country clustered around the port of Hamburg.
Another 500 people are being tested for the infection as hospitals brace themselves for a new wave of admissions.
'Killer cucumbers' from the Almeria and Malaga provinces in Spain are now thought to be the cause of the infections. But other salad items such as tomatoes and lettuce may also be the source of the bug.
The two UK victims are Germans who travelled from their homeland and fell ill after entering Britain. There is a third suspected case but it has yet to be confirmed.
Although the infection can be passed person-to-person through hand-to-mouth contact the Health Protection Agency said there was no evidence of any secondary infections.
A spokesman added: 'The Food Standards agency is monitoring the situation closely and stress there is currently no evidence that any affected organic cucumbers from the sources identified have been distributed to the UK.'
They said the outbreak is mainly affecting adults - almost 70 per cent of whom are women. Read More
