BERLIN — As Europe’s E. coli crisis wanes, some experts are now warning of a looming threat: possible long-term kidney complications for many of the victims.

Many of the roughly 3,200 E. coli patients are recovering and returning home, and only a handful of new cases are being reported.

But along with a record death toll of 38, the outbreak also produced an unprecedented number of patients with a rare ailment known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which can lead to kidney failure.

Germany usually sees some 40 to 50 such cases a year; 784 people suffered from HUS in the outbreak. The complication usually hits about 10 percent of E. coli patients and kills up to 5 percent of those infected.

Some experts warn that Germany could now face dozens of patients needing kidney transplants.