An E. coli outbreak has been linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, according to a food safety alert issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today.
"This is a fast-moving outbreak investigation," the CDC said in its report.
"Most sick people are reporting eating Quarter Pounder hamburgers from McDonald's and investigators are working quickly to confirm which food ingredient is contaminated. McDonald's has pulled ingredients for these burgers, and they won't be available for sale in some states."
So far, there have been 49 recorded cases, 10 hospitalizations and one death linked to the E. coli outbreak.
One of the people involved in the outbreak also developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause kidney failure.
The outbreak has been traced across 10 states, according to the CDC. Many of the cases have centered around stores in Colorado and Nebraska.
While McDonald's has not issued a recall of any item yet, the company is collaborating with the investigation to figure out what ingredient is making people sick. So far, the company stopped using slivered onions and quarter-pound beef patties in multiple states: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
"Across the McDonald's System, serving customers safely in every single restaurant, each and every day, is our top priority and something we'll never compromise on," Cesar Piña, SVP and Chief Supply Chain Officer of McDonald's North America, said in a statement. "It is why we are taking swift and decisive action following an E. Coli outbreak in certain states."
He added: "We are working in close partnership with our suppliers to replenish supply for the Quarter Pounder in the coming weeks (timing will vary by local market). In the meantime, all other menu items, including other beef products (including the Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Big Mac, McDouble and the Double Cheeseburger) are unaffected and available."
Those who have eaten a McDonald's Quarter Pounder and have E. coli symptoms should contact a healthcare provider immediately.
E. coli symptoms include diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees. It can also present as vomiting and being unable to keep liquids down as well as signs of dehydration like not peeing much, dizziness and dry mouth/throat.
Symptoms typically begin three to four days after consumption of the bacteria.
While some E. coli bacteria lead to hospitalizations and even death, the majority of people will recover without medical attention after five to seven days.
The outbreak has so far centered on Quarter Pounders eaten between September 27 and October 11, but many more cases could be reported as it often takes three to four weeks to link someone's illness to a specific bacterial outbreak. Many customers will recover on their own and never seek medical attention.
After news of the outbreak broke, McDonald's stock dropped 10 percent in after-hours trading.
Customers have been facing recalls on many other food items in recent months as well. BrucePAC recalled 10 million pounds of meat and poultry due to reports of listeria.
Meanwhile, other frozen waffle and pancake products were recalled at major retail stores over similar listeria concerns.
This included top brands at Albertson's, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Target, and Walmart.
"If it seems you're hearing about a food recall or disease outbreak involving a major food item almost every day, you're right," Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog director for the Public Interest Research Group, said in a statement.
"We've had a huge number of problems surface this year involving everything from lunch meat to eggs and cucumbers. Hundreds of people have become seriously ill—and some even died—in recent months because of something they ate. This has to stop."
Murray said the majority of bacterial outbreaks occur as a result of poor sanitation practices, like someone handling the food and not washing their hands. In other cases, crops are grown close to farms where animals live and contaminate the food with runoff feces.
"The awful thing about food poisoning is we don't know it's there," Murray said. "We buy food and eat products in good faith. You generally can't see or smell or taste E. coli or salmonella or listeria."
Newsweek reached out to McDonald's for comment via email.
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