France: E. coli kills elderly woman in Bordeaux (VIDEO)

An elderly woman in France has reportedly died of kidney disease after being treated for an E. coli infection in Bordeaux.

Regional health officials said the woman, 78, had been held in intensive care at a hospital in Bordeaux since June 24, CNN reports. She had a severe form of hemolytic uremic syndrome, it states.

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BBC reports that several other people suffering from the infection remain at the hospital. It states that they were infected with E. coli after eating salad at a leisure center in a nearby town. They are in stable condition.

It was unclear if the woman who passed away had the same strain of the infection as the others at the hospital. CNN and Euronews report that she has no link to the leisure center and did not eat sprouts there.

An outbreak of E. coli that started in Germany killed 49 people as of July 1. BBC reports that the strain of this bug is different from the German one.

Authorities do not know the definitive source behind the outbreaks. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control published a report last week suggesting a possible link in both the outbreaks with contaminated seed imported from the Middle East, BBC states.

Health officials have also been looking into a possible link with seeds from a British company, which has denied responsibility.