At least 90 people have been infected with E. coli in a multistate outbreak that health officials say likely stems from onions served on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders and could see the fast food chain taken to court.
At least 27 people have been hospitalized, two have developed dangerous kidney complications and one person in Colorado has died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The onion supplier at all affected restaurants, Salinas-based agricultural producer Taylor Farms, announced a recall of its onions from a Colorado processing facility last week, and McDonald’s resumed serving Quarter Pounders at all locations this week.
Attorney Ron Simon is representing 33 infected people taking legal action against McDonald’s, according to a news release. They include 15-year-old Kamberlyn Bowler of Grand Junction, Colo., who has been hospitalized for almost two weeks with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that damages the blood vessels in the kidneys.
“HUS is a dangerous and life-threatening illness, and can lead to the need for life-long monitoring and treatment, including kidney transplants,” Simon said in a statement. “The longer a young person is on dialysis, the more difficult their medical future will likely be.”
Kamberlyn was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora on Oct. 18 after testing at her local hospital revealed she was in kidney failure due to a severe E. coli infection.
Kamberlyn’s mother, Brittany Randall, told NBC News that it had been very scary to witness her daughter’s illness.
“We’re not really sure what it’s going to look like for her moving forward,” she said Monday. “She’ll probably have to do another round of dialysis. We’re hoping that that’s the last one, but we also don’t know.”
Colorado has seen the highest number of cases at 29, followed by Montana at 17, Nebraska at 12, Missouri at eight, Utah at seven, Wyoming and New Mexico at five each, Michigan at two and Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin at one each, according to the CDC.
The Food and Drug Administration has initiated inspections at a Taylor Farms processing center in Colorado. Test results released by the Colorado Department of Agriculture over the weekend ruled out McDonald’s beef patties as a possible source.
Last week, Taylor Farms announced a voluntary recall on its onions. McDonald’s and several other fast-food chains — including Burger King, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut — have stopped using the supplier’s onions at their restaurants.
This week, McDonald’s resumed selling Quarter Pounders at the 900 restaurant locations that were previously receiving Taylor Farms’ onions.
The CDC announced 15 new cases Tuesday but noted that the illnesses all began prior to the onion product recall and said that, due to the actions taken by Taylor Farms and McDonald’s, the current risk to the public was “very low.”
E. coli symptoms typically start three to four days after ingesting the bacteria and include stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Most people recover without treatment within a week.