BERLIN, June 6 (UPI) -- Testing of bean sprouts from a German farm suspected of being the source of the deadly E.coli outbreak failed to identify the contamination, officials said.
Tests have been run on 23 of 40 produce samples from the farm in the northern Uelzen area officials had identified as the "most convincing" cause of the outbreak that has killed at least 22 people and left more than 600 in intensive care, The New York Times reported Monday.
The results of tests on the remaining samples were expected in 24 hours, officials said.
The negative finding adds to the confusion over the source of the outbreak, first blamed on cucumbers from Spain that were later tested and eliminated as a source.
Spanish farmers have lost millions of dollars in sales as demand for their produce collapsed amid fears about the spreading infection.
There is mounting pressure on Germany and the European Union to compensate Spanish farmers for estimated weekly losses of $286 million in revenue because of canceled shipments.
The current outbreak, first reported in late May, is caused by a rare strain of toxic E.coli that can cause bloody diarrhea and in extreme cases can lead to complications involving acute kidney failure and death.
