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SALINAS VALLEY (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― The same strain of deadly E. coli bacteria that sickened dozens of people in a nationwide outbreak has been linked to a cattle ranch next to Salinas Valley spinach fields, California and federal investigators said Thursday.

The strain of pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 was found in three cattle fecal samples collected at the farm, which is one of four in Monterey and San Benito counties still under investigation as the potential growers of contaminated spinach shipped to Natural Selection Foods in San Juan Bautista, the officials said. It matched the strain found in sick patients and in bags of recalled spinach.

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Officials said the farm in question, which was not specified, has livestock and spinach pastures that abut each other and that the potential for animal movements between the fields is substantial. Not all of the other farms have similar adjacent livestock and produce fields. Complete test results from samples collected at the three remaining farms are not yet available.

Thursday's find marks the first time that a strain of E. coli implicated in an outbreak in the produce-growing region has been linked to a plausible source.

"This is a significant finding because it is the first time we linked a spinach or lettuce E. coli O157:H7 outbreak to test results from a specific ranch in the Salinas Valley," state Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton said.

Still, investigators still can't be sure if the E. coli found in cow manure contaminated the fields.

"We do not have a smoking cow at this point," explained Dr. Kevin Reilly, deputy director of the Prevention Services Division of the California Department of Health Services. "We do not have a definite cause-and-effect here, (but) we do have a very important finding."

There are still many unanswered questions, but the find warrants further investigation and the probe is continuing, added Dr. Robert Brackett, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Different strains of E. coli are common in animals yet it is not unusual for farmers to operate both livestock and produce ranches simultaneously. The farm owner in question leased his fields to the spinach growers while managing his own livestock.

"It is important ... because it does show that the organism in question ... was actually found in the environment in proximity to where fresh produce was grown," explained Brackett.

Investigators still do not know exactly how the feces could have contaminated the spinach implicated in the bacterial outbreak. Officials said nothing indicated that farm workers had used cow manure to fertilize the spinach fields, nor is there evidence that livestock entered the spinach fields on the ranch.

However, wild pigs roamed the property, they said, and that wildlife wandering the ranch could have spread the bacteria.

"There's lots of wildlife and lots of potential for breakdown in the fencing," Reilly told reporters.

Investigators continue to look at irrigation water and the hygiene of farm workers as potential sources of the bacteria.

"Our follow-up investigation on this ranch is continuing today with the ongoing assessment of animal management, water systems and agricultural practices to clarify how the bacterial contamination of the spinach occurred," Horton said.

The recent outbreak of E. coli in spinach killed three people and sickened nearly 200 in half the states. It was the 20th such outbreak in lettuce or spinach since 1995.

The produce company that processed and packaged the spinach at the center of the outbreak investigation has repeatedly asserted its factories are blameless and pointed to the fields where the greens are grown as the potential source of the problem.

"This definitely reinforces our belief that the source was environmental," said Samantha Cabaluna, a spokeswoman for Natural Selection Foods.

More than 650 samples have been collected so far from various sources of possible contamination, some of which tested positive for other types of E. coli. Only three have tested positive for the strain of E. coli found in baby Dole spinach bags packaged at Natural Selection Foods.

Despite the narrowed search, health officials stressed the need for continued preventative measures and industry regulations.

"It is our expectation that no farm should feel like they are off the hook," Rackett said. "These are ready to eat products that people are going to consume without any cooking and it is absolutely essential that every one of the farms ... in that area are doing everything they can to make sure this never happens again."

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)