The source of the outbreak is still being investigated Russia has banned the import of some fresh vegetables from Germany and Spain in reaction to an E.coli outbreak that has left 14 people in Germany dead.
Austria, the Czech Republic and France are among the other countries to have taken measures.
It is thought cucumbers from Spain were at the origin of the outbreak, though it is still unclear exactly when and where they were contaminated.
Spanish officials have cautioned against blaming Spain for the outbreak.
Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's national disease institute, has confirmed 329 cases in Germany - though some reports have mentioned as many as 1,200 cases.
Cases have also been reported in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK.
In many of the reported cases, the gastrointestinal infection has led to Haemolytic-uraemic Syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney problems and is potentially fatal.
Russia's consumer protection watchdog said the ban announced on Monday covered "raw vegetables" including tomatoes, cucumbers and salad produced in Germany and Spain.
The head of the agency, Gennady Onishchenko, called on Russians to restrict themselves to locally-produced vegetables, saying those already imported from Germany and Spain would be confiscated.
"If the situation does not change, then we will ban all European vegetable products," Mr Onishchenko was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Suspicion has fallen on organic cucumbers from Spain imported by Germany but then re-exported to other European countries, or exported directly by Spain.
Authorities in the Czech Republic, Austria and France have taken some Spanish-grown cucumbers off shop shelves amid contamination fears.
Austria has banned the sale of cucumbers, tomatoes and aubergines imported via Germany, while Belgium was reported to have banned cucumber imports from Spain.
On Monday, Spanish Agriculture Minister Rosa Aguilar denied Spanish vegetables were to blame, and that Spain would look into claiming damages for losses incurred.
"Our understanding is that the problem does not come from the [country of] origin," Ms Aguilar was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
"The image of Spain is being damaged, Spanish producers are being damaged and the Spanish government is not prepared to accept this situation," she said.
She also urged Germany to wrap up its investigation into the cause of the outbreak.
German authorities have warned people to avoid eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce.
They have also warned the outbreak may get worse as its source may still be active.
The sickness is not directly contagious but it can be transferred between people if an infected person prepares food for others.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-europe-13597080
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