European E. coli confirmed in Arizona death

ATLANTA — Health officials have confirmed the first American death tied to the food-poisoning outbreak in Europe.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said lab tests show an Arizona man was infected with the same E. coli bacteria blamed for the outbreak centered in Germany. The man had visited Germany and died last month.

Officials have released few details about the man except that he was over 65 and lived in northern Arizona. He is the first death among the six cases in the U.S. linked to the outbreak.

European officials this week said contaminated sprout seeds from Egypt were likely the source of the food poisoning. Fifty people have died in Europe, all but one in Germany.