It Was the Sprouts: Germans Find Cause of E Coli Outbreak
By: Becky Bracken
Published: June 13, 2011

German-grown sprouts, not Spanish cucumbers, or tomatoes or anything else caused the deadly e coli outbreak in Germany that has killed more than 30 people in Europe since May 2. The sprouts were from a farm in Northern Germany. 
Officials traced the sprouts by interviewing sickened patients, asking where they ate, and finding out which specific meals and ingredients they ate, and then going back to the restaurants to track where the sprouts were grown. 
"It was like a crime thriller where you have to find the bad guy," said Helmut Tschiersky-Schoeneburg, head of Germany's consumer protection agency.