More cases reported in McDonald’s E. coli outbreak

• The E. coli outbreak cases linked to McDonald’s have widened to include 75 people in 13 states.
• The CDC said it expects the real number to be higher, and that it can take weeks to identify a case.
• Slivered onions from a McDonald’s supplier are under investigation, leading to recalls at other brands.

The McDonald’s E. coli outbreak cases have increased to 75 people in 13 states as of Thursday, the US Centers for Disease Control said in a Friday update.

The CDC said it now has detailed information on 61 people who got sick, of whom 22 have been hospitalized. The one death, which was reported earlier, was an “older adult in Colorado,” the health agency said.

Michigan, New Mexico, and Washington are the most recent additions to the list of states where infected patients live. Colorado remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with 26 cases as of Thursday. In at least one case, the infected person got sick from eating at a McDonald’s in another state.

Officials say they expect the real number to be higher and continue to grow. Some infected patients may recover without testing, and it can take three to four weeks to confirm whether a case is part of the outbreak.

The CDC reiterated that slivered onions and beef patties used in McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers are under investigation.

McDonald’s executives said in a briefing on Wednesday that the initial investigation points to contaminated ingredients, likely slivered onions, rather than the mishandling or improper preparation of food.

Taylor Farms, McDonald’s regional supplier of slivered onions, has issued a recall of its product, which has affected several other restaurant brands.

McDonald’s also said the potentially contaminated ingredients have been pulled from its restaurants, and Quarter Pounders are off the menu in impacted areas during the investigation.

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