German heath officials say the death toll from an E. coli outbreak in Europe has risen to 36 but that the crisis appears to be stabilizing.

The health officials say that for the past several days, the number of people in Germany reporting new infections of E. coli has declined.

More than 3,000 people have been sickened since the outbreak began last month. All but one of the deaths and the majority of those infected have been in Germany.

On Friday, authorities confirmed that bean sprouts from an organic farm in northern Germany were the source of the outbreak. The farm has been closed by public health officials.

German health officials initially blamed the bacterial infection on Spanish cucumbers and other vegetables and then spread the blame to other European countries, costing EU farmers millions of dollars as produce was left to rot in fields and warehouses.

E. coli symptoms include stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. In extreme cases, it can cause kidney failure and death.