E. coli cases rise to 104 in McDonald’s outbreak linked to grated onions

At least 104 people have become ill, 34 of whom are in hospital an outbreak of food poisoning due to E. coli tied to onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers, federal health officials said Wednesday.

According to the US Department of State, cases have been discovered in fourteen states an update from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person died in Colorado and four people have developed illness potentially life-threatening kidney disease complication.

At least 30 cases were reported in Colorado, followed by 19 in Montana, 13 in Nebraska, 10 in New Mexico, eight in Missouri and Utah, six in Wyoming, three in Kansas, two in Michigan and one each in Iowa, North Carolina. Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

Illnesses were reported between September 12 and October 21. At least seven people who became ill said they ate McDonald’s food while traveling.

Split onions served on the Quarter Pounders were the likely source of the outbreak, the CDC said. Taylor Farms, a California-based produce grower, recalled onions possibly linked to the outbreak. Tests by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detected a type of E. coli bacteria that produces a dangerous toxin in one sample of the onions, but it did not match the strain that made people sick, officials said.

Quarter Pounders were removed from menus in several states during the early days of the outbreak. McDonald’s officials said Wednesday that the company has found an alternative supplier for the 900 restaurants that temporarily stopped serving the burgers with onions. This past week, these restaurants started selling Quarter Pounders with chopped onions again.

FDA officials said in a statement that “there does not appear to be any ongoing food safety concerns associated with this outbreak at McDonald’s restaurants.”

The type of bacteria involved in this outbreak causes about 74,000 infections in the U.S. annually, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths annually, according to the CDC.

Symptoms come on quickly, within a day or two of eating contaminated food, and typically include fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, and signs of dehydration — little or no urination, increased thirst, and dizziness. The infection can cause some form of serious kidney damage, especially in children under 5 years of age. E. coli poisoning in young children requires immediate medical attention.

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