The infection could have come from two Morrisons stores in Paisley

Five other people in the same area of Paisley, Renfrewshire, have also been treated for the E.coli O157 infection.

NHS officials said initial inquiries suggested the infection could have come from cold meat bought at two Morrisons' supermarkets in the Paisley area.

Morrisons said cold meats had been withdrawn from the two stores at Lonend and Falside Road.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the people affected were all from the Paisley area.

'Deeply saddened'

It said the woman died on Monday morning in the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

Her 72-year-old husband is seriously ill in Glasgow's Victoria Infirmary.

Another family, comprising a woman aged 45, a man aged 46, and their 23-year-old daughter, are recovering at home.

The other cases are an 86-year-old woman, who is also recovering at home, and a 71-year-old woman is being treated at Royal Alexandra hospital.

Morrisons issued a statement, saying it was deeply saddened to hear of the death and other cases.

The supermarket giant said no other stores or products were involved in the investigation.

It said: "We are currently working closely with the authorities and although the full facts are not yet known, we have, as a precautionary measure, withdrawn sliced cold meat products from sale at the delicatessen counters of two stores in Paisley.

"We advise anyone who has bought sliced cold meat products locally from the delicatessen counters in these two stores not to consume them.

"No other products or Morrisons stores are involved in this investigation."

E.coli O157 can cause serious illness and is usually spread through contaminated food or drink.

Anyone who has purchased sliced cold meat from the delicatessen counters at the stores was urged not to eat it.

Those experiencing symptoms - including stomach cramps, diarrhoea, nausea and fever - should contact a GP or NHS 24.

Delicatessen counters

Dr Syed Ahmed, head of the health board's outbreak control team, said: "We were dealing with two apparently unrelated family outbreaks of confirmed O157 on Friday.

"On Monday two further cases from the same area of Paisley were notified to Public Health.

"We immediately interviewed the individuals, reviewed all the information and, while there is no conclusive evidence yet, initial investigations have indicated that there may possibly be a link to the consumption of some sliced cold meats bought locally from the delicatessen counters of two Morrisons supermarkets in Paisley."

He added: "The Outbreak Control Team (OCT) moved very swiftly last night to alert the public to take the precautionary action of not consuming the food identified."

Dr Ahmed said Morrisons was co-operating fully with his team and environmental health officers from Renfrewshire Council were currently investigating the two stores on behalf of the OCT.

In 1996 an outbreak of the same strain of E.coli resulted in the death of 21 elderly people.

It was the country's worst outbreak of E.coli and centred on a butcher's shop in Wishaw, Lanarkshire.

Last May five people were treated for kidney failure after an outbreak linked to a nursery in Fife, and in another case a toddler from south Ayrshire died after contracting the bug.

The incubation period for E.coli O157 is usually around one to 14 days.