PARIS — The deadly German E. coli strain that killed at least 45 people has resurfaced in France, where officials said a cluster of eight people have fallen ill, apparently from eating contaminated sprouts grown in France.

Sprouts were also identified as the source of the German outbreak. French officials have not yet determined if the two episodes are connected.

But public health experts in the United States said the new outbreak raised concerns that contaminated seeds from a common supplier might be the ultimate source of the E. coli bacteria. If those seeds are still in circulation, other outbreaks could occur.

The French health authorities said that seven of those who had become sick attended a charity event at a children’s play center in Bègles, a suburb of Bordeaux, on June 8. Most of the people who became ill recalled eating gazpacho garnished with sprouts.