CNN —
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a food safety alert Tuesday regarding an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.
At least 49 cases of the disease have been reported in 10 states, including one death in an elderly person. Ten people have been hospitalized, including a child with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication that can develop from E. coli infection. Most of the disease is occurring in Colorado and Nebraska.
According to the CDC, most people who became ill reported eating a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder sandwich.
The agency said the investigation is “moving quickly” and that information reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration indicates that shredded onions were the likely source of the contamination.
McDonald’s has stopped using onions and quarter-pound beef patties in several states while the investigation continues, according to the CDC. The agency said beef patties are used only in quarter pounders, and shredded onions are used primarily in quarter pounders and not in other items.
McDonald’s said in a statement that initial findings implicate the onions to “a single supplier serving three distribution centers.”
“We are working closely with our suppliers to replenish our supply of Quarter Pounders in the coming weeks (timing varies by local market),” the company said. “For the time being, all other menu items including other beef products (including cheeseburgers, hamburgers, Big Macs, Mac doubles and double cheeseburgers) are unaffected and available.”
According to the FDA, McDonald’s is removing chopped meat from some stores in Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Removed onions and quarter pound patty. The Quarter Pounder Burger may not be available in other states.
However, the CDC also notes that the outbreak could spread beyond these states.
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People infected with E. coli may experience symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Symptoms of the infection usually begin 3 to 4 days after swallowing the bacteria. Most people who become ill recover within a week without treatment, but some develop serious kidney problems and require hospitalization.
People who feel sick after eating a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder should seek medical attention and tell the provider what they ate, the CDC says.
McDonald’s said in a statement that “serving our customers safely every day at all of our restaurants is our top priority,” and that it will continue to work with the CDC on the investigation.
McDonald’s stock prices plummeted in after-hours trading after news of the spread of the virus spread.
