An E. coli outbreak from McDonald’s Quarter-Pounder hamburgers caused severe illness across America.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 50 people became sick, and one died in the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak.
The elderly, children and people with weak immune systems are especially vulnerable to this strain of bacteria. A preliminary investigation by the CDC suggests that the raw onions in the Quarter Pounders could have been contaminated and, therefore, the source of the outbreak.
The E. coli bacteria
While the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak is the latest, outbreaks similar to this one happen more often than one would think. E. coli is a bacteria that primarily targets the gut. It is found in food, water and the environment and it comes from the intestines and stools of people and animals.
While many strains of E. coli are harmless, this outbreak is caused by E. coli O157:H7. According to the CDC, this particular strain causes diarrhea and vomiting and at its worst, can lead to kidney failure.
The bacteria tends to spread through contaminated food, as it did in the McDonald’s E. coli outbreak. However, it can also spread through contact with infected animals or people. The bacteria can be killed by cooking meat at a high temperature, which is why the raw onion is the most likely culprit of the outbreak rather than the beef of the Quarter Pounder.
The McDonald’s E. coli Outbreak
McDonald’s has had to remove the burger from more than 14,000 restaurants across 12 states to prevent the outbreak from getting worse. The outbreak hit the western United States and the Midwest, including Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
According to a McDonald’s spokesperson, the outbreak is only in the United States. While McDonald’s has taken measures to prevent more infections, the CDC expects there to be more cases before the outbreak is done.
“We fully expect to see more cases,” said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner. “McDonald’s has moved rather quickly to take action to, hopefully, prevent as many cases as possible.”
The outbreak could hit McDonald’s relatively hard, as they could see lawsuits resulting from it.
“We’re still in the early stages of how McDonald’s is going to handle this,” said U.S. food safety attorney Bill Marler. “But getting the supplier of the onions out – if they’re confident that’s the source of it – is going to be really important.”
Meanwhile, McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger has stressed the importance of rebuilding trust with customers in the areas where the E. coli outbreak took place.
