Deaths from E coli outbreak unprecedented, experts say

THE number of people hit by a massive European outbreak of food borne bacterial infections is a third bigger than previously known and a stunningly high number of patients suffer from a potentially deadly complication than can shut down their kidneys, officials said yesterday.

The death toll rose to 17, with German authorities reporting that an 84-year-old woman with the complication died on Sunday.

Medical authorities appeared no closer to discovering either the source of the infection or the mystery at the heart of the outbreak: why the unusual strain of the E coli bacteria appears to be causing so many cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, which attacks the kidneys and can cause seizures, strokes and comas.