E. coli cases at McDonald’s rise as federal authorities inspect an onion grower

washington – Federal officials reported more cases on Wednesday E. coli poisoning While government investigators looking for the source of the epidemic found that an “onion grower” was the center of attention in Washington state, there was also an increase in people eating at McDonald’s.

The Food and Drug Administration said: 90 people in 13 states The number of people who fell ill due to the epidemic increased to 75 at the end of last week. The number of people hospitalized increased by 5 to 27 people. One death was found to be related to the epidemic.

Officials said the likely source of E. coli was the raw, chopped onions in McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers. McDonald’s said the onions came from a single supplier, California-based Taylor Farms. The company later recalled yellow onions it sent to McDonald’s and other restaurant chains.

The FDA said Wednesday that it has begun examining Taylor Farm’s processing center in Colorado Springs as well as a “concerned onion grower” in Washington state. The breeder’s name was not stated.

The FDA reported that more than 80% of E. coli patients interviewed by government inspectors had eaten McDonald’s products containing fresh, sliced ​​onions.

McDonald’s said last week that onions from its Colorado Springs facility were distributed to about 900 of its restaurants, including some at transportation hubs such as airports. restaurant chain announced He said he will continue to serve Quarter Pounders After tests, hundreds of restaurants beef patties excluded as the source of the epidemic.

The E. coli strain behind the outbreak can cause dangerous diarrhea and lead to kidney failure and other serious problems. It causes about 74,000 infections annually in the United States and leads to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FDA officials said Wednesday that the current risk of illness is low because the onions were recalled and should no longer be available. They noted that all reported cases occurred before Taylor Farms and McDonald’s removed the onions from the market.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Education Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.