A severe E. coli outbreak in multiple states, including Utah, has been traced to Quarter Pounder hamburgers served by McDonald's.
At least 49 people across 10 states have fallen ill after eating the burgers, the CDC says. Most cases are in Colorado and Nebraska, and have also appeared in Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, Montana, Kansas, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri.
Four Utahns have gotten sick from this outbreak, according to the CDC, although it's not known where the restaurants were located.
"They're spread out across Utah. That's likely an underestimate — most people who get sick with E. coli don't end up going to the doctor, and even if they do, many of them don't get tested," said Delaney Moore, an epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Ten people have been hospitalized nationwide and one older person in Colorado has died.
The CDC reports every person who has been interviewed ate at McDonald's, and most specifically reported that they had recently eaten a Quarter Pounder.
The exact ingredient responsible for illness is not yet known.
"FDA and USDA along with CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they've been working closely with McDonald's corporate and sharing the data with them and in their discussions, they've determined it's most likely the beef or the onions likely because those are items that are unique just to the Quarter Pounder," said Moore.
Moore told FOX 13 News on Tuesday that they got this figured out quickly, finding out about the outbreak over the last two weeks.
"For the average person who gets sick from an outbreak, it's gonna take three to four weeks before we can link someone to that outbreak because of the time it takes them to get sick to go to the doctor and for their case to get investigated," said Moore. "So, this got figured out really quickly due to some really talented investigators across multiple states."
McDonald's says it has removed the ingredients in question in the affected states while the investigation goes on, which may cause them to be unavailable for sale.
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In humans, E. coli can cause severe stomach cramps and bloody or watery diarrhea. Some people may also experience vomiting or a fever. Symptoms typically start three to four days after ingesting the bacteria and most people typically recover within five to seven days.
The CDC recommends you call your healthcare provider if you have recently eaten a McDonald's Quarter Pounder and are experiencing symptoms of E. coli infection.
