E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s tied to Quarter Pounders Expanded: At least 75 people in 13 states have become ill, the CDC said Friday.

This follows 49 illnesses reported in 10 states as of Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 22 people were hospitalized. Two people developed a dangerous complication of kidney disease and one person died.

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Colorado reported More cases linked to the outbreak than any other state. This is also where the only death occurred.

McDonald’s has more than 14,000 stores in the United States and serves millions of Quarter Pounders each week.

What caused the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak?

A preliminary study by the US Food and Drug Administration suggested Fresh slivered onions served raw on Quarter Pounder burgers was the likely source of contamination. McDonald’s also serves raw onions on one of its breakfast sandwiches, but that sandwich is not available at the affected stores. Other burgers, like the Big Mac, use chopped, cooked onions.

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McDonald’s officials said the contaminated onions came from Taylor Farms in Salinas, California.

A McDonalds Quarter Pounder hamburger meal is seen at a McDonalds in the Flatbush neighborhood of New York City’s Brooklyn borough on October 23, 2024. An E. coli food poisoning outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers has worsened

US Foods, a leading wholesaler to restaurants across the country, said Thursday that Taylor Farms is recalling peeled whole and diced yellow onions this week due to potential E. coli contamination. A US Foods spokeswoman said the recalled onions came from the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado. But the wholesaler also said it is not a McDonald’s supplier and that its recall does not involve any products sold at the fast food chain’s restaurants.

Taylor Farms did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not confirmed that the agency is investigating Taylor Farms. A spokesman told The Associated Press on Thursday that the agency was “looking at all sources” of the outbreak.

Why did McDonald’s remove Quarter Pounders from the menu?

McDonald’s said Quarter Pounders have been removed from restaurant menus in the following states:

• colorado
• in kansas
• Utah
• wyoming

Quarter Pounders have also been removed from menus in the following sections:

• Idaho
• Iowa
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• new mexico
• Oklahoma

It’s unclear whether McDonald’s has removed the burger from other states and menus since the last figures were released Friday.

What other fast food restaurants have stopped using scallions?

Other fast food restaurants such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King have temporarily removed onions from some menus.

“As we continue to monitor the recently reported E. coli outbreak and out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively removed scallions from select Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC restaurants,” Yum Brands said in a statement.

Yum Brands, based in Louisville, Kentucky, did not say where the onions were sourced or whether the company uses the same supplier as McDonald’s. Yum Brands said it will continue to follow guidance from regulators and its suppliers.

Restaurant Brands International, which owns Burger King, said Thursday that 5 percent of its restaurants use onions distributed by Taylor Farms’ Colorado facility. Burger King restaurants receive whole spring onions and their employees wash, peel and slice the onions.

Restaurant Brands said it asked restaurants that received onions from the Colorado facility to destroy the onions two days ago, even though it had not been contacted by health officials and there were no signs of illness. The company said it is restocking with onions from other suppliers.

What is E. coli?

The CDC says E. coli bacteria are found in many places, including the environment, food, water, and the intestines of people and animals. Infections can cause serious illness such as fever, stomach cramps, and bloody diarrhea.

Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University, said E. coli’s incubation period is only a few days, so the disease is immediately noticeable to anyone affected. “If you ate these burgers in September and it’s now mid-October and you haven’t gotten sick, you’re probably fine,” he said.

Children under 5, adults 65 and older, people with compromised immune systems and international travelers are at high risk for E. coli infection, the agency says.

Those who develop symptoms of E. coli poisoning should immediately contact their healthcare provider and inform the healthcare provider about what they ate.

According to the CDC, the bacterial strain implicated in the McDonald’s case causes about 74,000 infections a year in the United States, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year.