CDC says 75 people infected in E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s

More illnesses have been reported in the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s, with a total of 75 people infected in 13 states as of Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most people interviewed by state and local health officials reported eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald’s before falling ill. It is not yet known which specific food ingredient is contaminated, but the Food and Drug Administration said this week that slivered onions are a likely source of contamination, citing preliminary information reviewed by the agency.

McDonald’s has stopped using fresh slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties in several states.

Taylor Farms, the supplier of slivered onions to the affected McDonald’s locations, has initiated a voluntary recall of yellow onions and has asked customers to stop using the onions while the investigation into the source of contamination continues, the CDC said. Taylor Farms has instructed food service customers to remove onions.

The FDA is determining whether the onions were served or sold at other businesses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is investigating hamburger patties served at McDonald’s to determine whether ground beef has been contaminated with E. coli.

Several other fast-food chains have removed fresh onions from their restaurants. Some Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants are no longer serving fresh onions “out of an abundance of caution,” a spokesman for Yum Brands, the parent company of the chains, said in a statement Thursday.

Burger King said it uses whole fresh onions that are cut and sliced fresh daily, but about 5% of its restaurants receive whole onions from a Taylor Farms Colorado facility, a spokeswoman said Friday. Burger King asked those restaurants to dispose of the onions from Taylor Farms two days ago as a precaution and is in the process of restocking onions from other facilities, the spokeswoman said. She said health authorities have not contacted the company, nor has anyone fallen ill.

Those reporting illnesses between Sept. 27 and Oct. 10 range in age from 13 to 88 years old, the CDC said. At least 22 people have been hospitalized, including two who developed a serious condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome that can cause kidney failure. One person in Colorado, an older adult with underlying conditions, has died.

State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate during the week before they got sick. Of the 42 people interviewed, all reported eating at McDonald’s, with 39 consuming beef hamburgers, the CDC said; most of those who remembered the specific hamburger reported eating a Quarter Pounder.

Health officials say the true number of sick people in this outbreak is probably much higher and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. Many people recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli. It also takes three to four weeks to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak.

The CDC characterized the continued risk to the public as “very low” because of the actions taken by McDonald’s and Taylor Farms to stop using onions and quarter-pound beef patties.