Michigan reports 2 cases of E. coli linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder

• An E. coli outbreak has reached Michigan. Two cases of the bacterial infection have been reported in the state so far  
• The outbreak has been linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger 
• Michigan is one of 13 states with known cases

A national E.coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger has reached Michigan. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that two cases have been found in Michigan, one in metro Detroit. 

One of the people sickened likely contracted the illness out of state, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told Bridge Michigan on Monday. The other case is under investigation, the department said. 

The outbreak has infected 75 people and hospitalized 22 across 13 states. Since it began on Oct. 10, two people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that can cause kidney failure, and one death has been reported from an older adult in Colorado, according to the CDC.

As of Friday, that state had the highest number of reported cases, at 26. 

The E.coli outbreak has also sickened people in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming, though the CDC says the outbreak may not be limited to states with known illnesses. 

Federal officials have linked the outbreak to uncooked slivered onions used on the burger, supplied by Taylor Farms, which is headquartered in California. The supplier has issued a recall on yellow onions from its Colorado facility. 

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McDonald’s pulled Quarter Pounders from the menu last week in Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming and parts of Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma. It did not pull the burger from Michigan restaurants. 

The fast food giant said Sunday that it plans to resume sales of the burgers, but without onions, in the 900 restaurants in those states that historically received onions from the Taylor facility.  

Symptoms of E. coli 

E.coli is a bacteria that people can contract when consuming contaminated food or water or come in contact with people, animals or environments where the bacteria is present. 

There are several strains of E. coli but the CDC has listed E. coli O157:H7 as the source of the outbreak. Symptoms of this strain include: 

• Bloody diarrhea for more than three days 
• Fever higher than 102 degrees.
• Excessive vomiting that prevents you from keeping liquids down 

Symptoms of E.coli are usually present three to four days after swallowing the bacteria but most people recover within five to seven days. 

However, some people may develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure, according to the CDC. 

People who are at increased risk 

Children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, people with weakened immune systems and international travelers are at an increased risk of contracting the bacteria or becoming seriously sick, according to the CDC. 

Each year, roughly 48 million people are sickened by foodborne illnesses, 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 die.