Pig bacteria

          By noon on Sunday, 80 cases, 67 confirmed and 13 suspected, had been reported, according to a ministry statement.

　　Since the disease was found in humans about one month ago, the bacteria has killed 19. At the moment 17 patients are in a critical condition in hospital.

　　After an emergency investigation, a group of experts organized by the ministries of health and agriculture confirmed the epidemic was caused by the bacteria which can be passed to humans from pigs.

　　Experts found that the farmers infected had all slaughtered or processed infected pigs.

　　The official investigation result dispels concerns that the outbreak was avian influenza or SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

      Those infected develop acute symptoms such as high fever, listlessness, vomiting and bleeding from vessels beneath the skin.About half of patients also go into severe shock, and the death rate of the disease is quite high, investigating experts said.

　　Four people infected during the current outbreak have recovered and been released from hospitals.

          It is rare for the bacteria to infect a human being. The first ever recorded case was in Denmark in 1968, the ministry said.

　　Records show that at least 200 human cases of the infection have been reported, mainly in countries and regions breeding pigs and eating pork in Northern Europe and Southern Asia.