Michigan, Ohio E. coli outbreaks linked

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Outbreaks of E. coli bacteria in Michigan and Ohio appear to be linked to the same source, public health officials in Ohio and Michigan said on Tuesday.

"It is a multi-state outbreak involving both Ohio and Michigan," said Kristopher Weiss, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health.

Weiss said genetic testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined the 17 confirmed Ohio cases and cases in Michigan originated from the same bacteria.

"Ohio is investigating two additional probable cases as well," Weiss told Reuters.

Michigan health officials have confirmed 15 E. coli cases that are genetically linked and 10 of those cases are hospitalized.

Weiss said a sample of raw ground beef provided by one of the infected patients has tested positive for E. coli at the state's agricultural lab.

"That sample has been forwarded to the Ohio Department of Health lab for genetic fingerprinting to see whether it does match the outbreak strain," he said.

No deaths have been reported in Ohio related to the outbreak, Weiss said.

Health officials in Michigan said in a statement that more than half of the 15 cases in Michigan have been linked to ground beef purchased from Kroger Food Stores, the largest U.S. grocery chain.