The infections have made German shoppers wary of buying raw vegetables German researchers are still trying to identify the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak after Spanish cucumbers were found not to have the lethal strain.
About 100 patients in north Germany are reported to be suffering the most severe and potentially fatal symptoms.The E. coli has killed 16 people - 15 in Germany and one in Sweden.
The reprieve for the Spanish cucumber came too late for growers, who were forced to destroy tonnes of freshly harvested vegetables in southern Spain.
Shoppers in northern Germany are even boycotting locally grown vegetables, the German newspaper die Welt reports.
Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has advised people not to eat raw vegetables, especially in northern Germany.
Meanwhile, the Spanish government has demanded compensation for affected Spanish growers.
Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba threatened legal action.
"We may take action against the authorities, in this case Hamburg," he warned on Wednesday.
Europe-wide alert In Germany, 1,169 have been affected by enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, also known as EHEC.
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End Quote Rosa Aguilar Spanish agriculture ministerWe want Germany to provide, without any delay and distractions, the necessary information of its investigation”
In many instances, the gastrointestinal infection has led to Haemolytic-uraemic Syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney problems and is potentially fatal.
The RKI has confirmed 373 cases of HUS in Germany. About half of the HUS patients in Hamburg clinics have suffered neural disorders three to five days after falling ill, such as epileptic fits and slurred speech, die Welt reports.
German officials say their investigations indicate that people were probably infected by eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce.
In Sweden, 41 people have the E. coli infection, of whom 15 have developed HUS.
Denmark has six HUS cases, the Netherlands three and the UK two.
A few infections have also been recorded in Austria, Spain and Switzerland.
The president of Spain's fruit and vegetable export federation said the crisis was costing Spanish exporters 200m euros (£174m) a week.
Asked which countries had stopped buying Spanish produce, Jorge Brotons was quoted as telling a news conference: "Almost all Europe. There is a domino effect on all vegetables and fruits."
Health authorities across Europe have advised citizens to wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly, to do the same with all cutlery and plates, and to wash their hands before meals.
German authorities initially pointed to organic cucumbers from Spain.
But Spain rejected the accusation. Spanish Agriculture Minister Rosa Aguilar said: "We are disappointed by the way Germany handles the situation."
"We want Germany to provide, without any delay and distractions, the necessary information of its investigation so that the European Union can know what is causing the E.coli outbreak."
Speaking at an EU meeting in Hungary, she also said the issue should be treated as a "common problem" and that there should be compensation for Spanish and other European producers affected.
The Netherlands has also said it will ask for compensation.
Several countries have taken steps to curtail the outbreak, such as banning cucumber imports and removing the vegetables from sale.
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