Germany: sharp rise in E.coli cases, source unknown

BRUSSELS/BERLIN (Reuters) - German health officials said on Wednesday there had been a dramatic increase in the number of people infected in an E.coli outbreak which has so far killed 16 and whose source is still unknown.

The outbreak, centred on the north German city of Hamburg, has made more than 1,500 people ill in eight European countries, and led to an international row over the source of the contamination.