A man in Colorado has died after catching E coli from a McDonald’s burger, health officials announced.
The CDC said Tuesday that 49 people in 10 states have been sickened from the same strain of E coli, a deadly bacteria affects nearly 100,000 Americans a year.
All affected patients had eaten at McDonald’s before getting sick, and most specifically mentioned ordering the chain’s popular Quarter Pounder.
The specific contaminated ingredient has not been identified, but investigators are focusing on the slivered onions and the beef patty, which have been pulled from stores in the affected states.
A child has also been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), an infection that leads to kidney damage in up to one in seven E coli patients.
The CDC announced that 49 people in 10 states have been sickened with E coli after eating at McDonald’s in 10 states. Most ate a Quarter Pounder (pictured here)
No additional details have been released about the Colorado man or the child.
E. coli are bacteria typically found in the intestines of animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, and deer. While most are harmless, some can cause a host of gastrointestinal symptoms, including stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting.
The bacteria can be found in food and water contaminated by feces from infected animals.
E coli sickens about 95,000 Americans per year and kills around 100.