German health authorities have reported that bean sprouts eaten in northern Germany are the likely source of the deadly and unprecedented Ecoli outbreak that has killed 22 and infected more than 2,000 people within Germany and around the world.
The German Health Minister admitted that hospitals in northern Germany were struggling to keep up with all of the patients that have contacted this new strain of the deadly bacteria.
In the past, bean sprouts have been a known cause of both E-coli and salmonella outbreaks. According to the Canadian Health Service, there have been nearly 37 outbreaks of foodborne illnesses linked to sprouts between 1973 and 2005.
One notable outbreak occurred in 1996 in Japan. In that outbreak 6,000 were infected and 17 people died after eating contaminated radish sprouts.
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