Health officials are reporting that shiga toxin — and that often means E. coli O157:H7 but that has not been confirmed in this case — has sickened at least six people in Texas. Three of the cases were children and one of those children died.

Most of the cases were reported in Bastrop County.

Doug McBride, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said,

"The bacteria that can produce this shiga toxin typically live in the intestines of animals, so the origin is usually going to be related to fecal matter from animal waste. … What’s unusual about this is to have six cases within a few days and in a relatively small geographical area."

Health official are awaiting the results of lab tests to identify a specific bacteria.