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E. Coli Outbreaks

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Richard Myers:

E. coli Outbreak Linked to Organic Walnuts
Food safety alert
Investigation start date: April 30, 2024
Investigation status: Closed
Recall issued: No

Epidemiologic and traceback data showed that Gibson Farms, Inc. organic walnut halves and pieces were contaminated with E. coli and made people sick. This product should no longer be for sale.
Fast Facts

    Cases: 13
    Hospitalizations: 7
    Deaths: 0
    States: 2



July 2024

Richard Myers:

E. coli Outbreak Linked to Raw Cheddar Cheese
Outbreak ended
Investigation start date: February 16, 2024
Investigation status: Closed
Recall issued: Yes

This outbreak is over. Learn what you can do to protect yourself from getting sick from E. coli.
Fast Facts

    Cases: 11
    Hospitalizations: 5
    Deaths: 0
    States: 5

March 2024

Richard Myers:
Investigation Update: E. coli Outbreak, Onions Served at McDonald's - November 13, 2
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with cheese on a white background
December 3, 2024

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) collected different types of data to investigate a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7infections.

Epidemiologic and traceback data showed that fresh, slivered onions served at McDonald's were the likely source of this outbreak.
Epidemiologic data

A total of 104 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 were reported from 14 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from September 12, 2024, to October 21, 2024. Of 98 people with information available, 34 were hospitalized, and 4 people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. One death was reported from an older adult in Colorado. This person was not one of those who developed HUS.

The true number of sick people in this outbreak was likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not have been limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for E. coli.

Public health officials collected many different types of information from sick people, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. This information provided clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.

The table below has information about sick people in this outbreak ("n" is the number of people with information available for each demographic).
Demographics
Information
Age
(n=104)
Range from 1 to 88 years
Median age of 28
Sex
(n=104)
40% female
60% male
Race
(n=96)
95% White
2% African American/Black
1% Native American or Alaska Native
0% Asian
0% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
2% reported more than one race
Ethnicity
(n=93)
89% non-Hispanic
11% Hispanic

State and local public health officials interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 81 people interviewed, 80 (99%) reported eating at McDonald's. Seventy-five people were able to remember specific menu items they ate at McDonald's, of which 63 (84%) reported a menu item containing fresh, slivered onions.

Some people in this outbreak reported traveling to other states before their illness started. At least seven people ate at McDonald's during their travel.
Laboratory information

Public health investigators used the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).

WGS showed that bacteria from sick people's samples were closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.

WGS analysis of bacteria from 94 people's samples predicted resistance to chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, tetracycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. More information is available at the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) site. These findings do not affect treatment guidance since antibiotics are not recommended for patients with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections.

FDA tested recalled onions and one environmental sample from a grower. Both of these samples tested positive for non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing E. Coli. The E. coli found was not the outbreak strain and no human illnesses were found related to the strain. Additional samples from this investigation were negative for E. coli.
Public health actions

Follow steps to protect yourself from getting sick from E. coli.


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E. coli infection

Six types of E. coli can cause diarrheal illness in people. Learn about E. coli, the illnesses it can cause, symptoms of infection, prevention tips, and more.

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