Investigations by the German authorities indicate that the vehicle of the bacterium responsible for the outbreak, enteroaggregative verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (EAggEC VTEC) O104:H4, is bean and seed sprouts. The Robert Koch Institute has warned people in Germany not to eat raw bean and seed sprouts of any origin. The earliest onset of diarrhea was the first of May, the latest on June 13.