One person died and dozens fell ill in the United States after being infected with Escherichia coli bacteria while eating at McDonald’s, US health authorities said Tuesday.
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Most of those infected were in Colorado and Nebraska, but a total of ten states in the western United States are affected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
McDonald’s shares fell more than 8% after the close of the New York Stock Exchange.
In total, 49 people were infected with the same strain of the bacteria, and ten had to be hospitalized. An elderly person has died in Colorado.
“Everyone surveyed said they ate at McDonald’s before getting sick, and most of them mentioned eating a specific hamburger,” called a “Quarter Pounder” in the United States.
The latter could be “temporarily unavailable” in certain states, the CDC said.
The specific ingredient involved has not been identified, but could be ground steak or onions. Both of these ingredients have been removed by McDonald’s in the affected states while an investigation is conducted.
“Food safety is very important to me and to everyone at McDonald’s,” responded Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s in the United States, in a video message. “We have taken steps to preemptively remove slivered onions, which are used in Quarter Pounders, in some states.”
And “we have also made the decision to temporarily remove the Quarter Pounder from restaurants in some states,” he added.
The E. coli bacteria causes stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, usually lasting three to four days. Most people recover without treatment, but some people may develop complications.
