LOS ANGELES – Tests ruled out beef patties as a source E. coli poisoning epidemic It is committed to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, the company said Sunday. It will continue selling the Quarter Pounder next week.

McDonald’s said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to believe that chopped onions from a single supplier were the likely source of contamination.

As of Friday, the outbreak had spread to at least 75 people in 13 states, federal health officials said. A total of 22 people were hospitalized, and two developed a dangerous complication of kidney disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. One person died in Colorado.

Initial information analyzed by the FDA showed that uncooked sliced ​​onions used in the burgers were a “possible source of contamination.” McDonald’s confirmed He said Taylor Farms, a California-based produce company, was the supplier of the scallions used at the restaurants involved in the outbreak, and that they came from a facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

McDonald’s said the 900 McDonald’s restaurants that normally buy slivered onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility will continue selling Quarter Pounders without slivered onions.

Taylor Farms said Friday that it is preemptively recalling yellow onions shipped to customers from its Colorado facility and continues to work with the CDC and FDA during the investigation.

Includes epidemic infections with E. coli 0157:H7, a type of bacteria It produces a dangerous toxin. It causes about 74,000 infections annually in the United States, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to the CDC.