CDC Issues Update on Multi-State McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday announced that a multi-state E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers has ended.
Since the CDC launched an investigation on Oct. 22, it has found 104 E. coli cases in 14 states. The agency said 43 people were hospitalized, and one Colorado resident died in connection to the outbreak.
Meanwhile, at least four people contracted hemolytic uremic syndrome, a rare but serious disease linked to E. coli that can trigger kidney failure, according to the CDC.
“McDonald’s is no longer serving recalled onions and there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak,” the FDA said Tuesday in a statement.
Federal and state health officials in Colorado didn’t find the strain of E. coli that caused the illnesses in the onions it tested or in any samples from the environment.
The FDA had “tested recalled onions and one environmental sample from a grower. Both of these samples tested positive for non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli,” said the CDC notice. “The E. coli found was not the outbreak strain and no human illnesses were found related to the strain. Additional samples from this investigation were negative for E. coli.”
According to the CDC, state and local public health officials interviewed 81 people who reported sickness about the foods they ate in the week before their symptoms. All except one said they ate at McDonald’s, and 63 of them—84 percent—reported a menu item containing fresh, slivered onions.
McDonald’s in October announced it pulled Quarter Pounders from a number of locations in the United States in response to the outbreak. It resumed selling the product with slivered onions last month, it said.
The outbreak has hurt demand. In mid-November, McDonald’s said it planned to spend $100 million to bring customers back to stores, including $65 million that will go directly to the hardest-hit franchisees.
Officials with the CDC and health experts say that symptoms of E. coli, a type of bacteria, can start three to five days later. These include severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, a low-grade fever, and a loss of appetite.
The CDC has also said that people who suspect they may have contracted E. coli and have severe symptoms should contact a health care provider.
Severe symptoms can include a fever of 102 degrees F or higher, diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving, bloody diarrhea, vomiting so much that liquids cannot be kept down, and signs of dehydration such as not urinating often, a dry mouth and throat, and feeling dizzy when standing.