What’s happening in the US McDonald’s E. coli outbreak?

At least 22 people have been hospitalised and one person has died in the United States amid an E. Coli outbreak linked to the fast food chain McDonald’s Quarter Pounder sandwich, health officials said last week.

The outbreak was first announced on Tuesday and most cases were reported in the US state of Colorado.

The other affected stores were mostly in midwestern and Mountain states, with no impact outside the country.

What we know about the outbreak

At least 75 people in 13 US states have become sick. Two developed a serious condition that can cause kidney failure, health officials said.

McDonald’s had stopped using fresh slivered onions and quarter-pound (113 g) beef patties in multiple states as investigators looked into which was the source of contamination.

The fast food company said over the weekend that it would again put the Quarter Pounder sandwich on its menu after beef patties were ruled out as the outbreak’s source.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to believe that slivered onions from a single supplier are the likely source of contamination, McDonald’s said in a statement.

It will continue selling the sandwiches in the coming week without the onions.

“The issue appears to be contained to a particular ingredient and geography, and we remain very confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and is out of all McDonald’s restaurants,” the company said.

Taylor Farms, which supplied the onions to the affected locations, preemptively recalled them.

“We have made the decision to stop sourcing onions from Taylor Farms’ Colorado Springs facility indefinitely,” McDonald’s said in a statement released late Friday.

Several other fast food restaurants pulled the onions from some menus as well.

What is E. Coli?

E. Coli is a type of bacteria that is mostly harmless and found in the intestines, but some strains can make people sick with severe diarrhoea and other symptoms.

The outbreak involves infections with E. coli 0157:H7, which produces a dangerous toxin.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said severe E. coli symptoms include diarrhoea with fever, bloody diarrhoea, severe vomiting, and signs of dehydration.

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Symptoms typically begin three to four days after someone ingests the bacteria, with most people recovering without treatment within a week.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), there were more than 8,500 cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. Coli infection in EU and European Economic Area countries in 2022.

Who is most at risk?

Some people are at an increased risk of an E. Coli infection, health officials say.

They include children younger than five, adults over the age of 65, people who are immunocompromised, and travellers, according to the CDC.

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