Arizona health officials are conducting tests to determine if six recent reports of E. coli in the state are linked to tainted spinach that has killed one woman and sickened more than 100 others nationwide.

The six Arizona cases were reported last week, said Ken Komatsu, Arizona’s acting epidemiologist.

Bacteria have tested positive for toxins in three of those cases, but further tests will determine whether they are the same toxic 0157 strain responsible for the nationwide outbreak. One of those cases occurred in Pima County, Komatsu said.

He said the state public health laboratory in Phoenix will test all six cases to see if they are linked to the national outbreak. The results of those tests are expected Wednesday or Thursday, he said. Komatsu recommends Arizonans throw out any bagged spinach they have.

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