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Tests rule out beef burgers as source of McDonald’s E. coli outbreak
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Tests rule out beef burgers as source of McDonald’s E. coli outbreak

McDonald’s announced Sunday that Quarter Pounders will be back on the menu at hundreds of its restaurants after testing ruled out beef patties as the source of an E. coli poisoning outbreak linked to the popular burgers that killed one person. and sickened at least 75 others around the world. 13 states.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to believe that chopped onions from a single supplier are the likely source of contamination, McDonald’s said in a statement. It said it will resume selling the Quarter Pounder at affected restaurants (without chopped onions) next week.

As of Friday, the outbreak had expanded to at least 75 people sick in 13 states, federal health officials said. A total of 22 people were hospitalized and two developed a dangerous complication of kidney disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. One person has died in Colorado.

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Preliminary data analyzed by the FDA showed that raw chopped onions used in the burgers “are a likely source of contamination,” the agency said. McDonald’s has confirmed that Taylor Farms, a California-based produce company, was the supplier of the fresh onions used in the restaurants implicated in the outbreak, and that they came from a facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

McDonald’s pulled the Quarter Pounder burger from menus in several states, primarily in the Midwest and mountain states, when the outbreak was announced Tuesday. McDonald’s said Friday that chopped onions from the Colorado Springs facility were distributed to about 900 of its restaurants, including some in transportation hubs such as airports.

The company said it removed cut onions from that facility from its supply chain on Tuesday. McDonald’s said it decided to stop sourcing onions from the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado Springs “indefinitely.”

The 900 McDonald’s restaurants that normally received chopped onions from the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado Springs will resume sales of quarter-pounders without chopped onions, McDonald’s said.

Testing by the Colorado Department of Agriculture ruled out beef burgers as the source of the outbreak, McDonald’s said.

The agriculture department received several batches of fresh and frozen beef patties collected from several Colorado McDonald’s associated with the E. coli research. All samples tested negative for E. coli, the department said.

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Taylor Farms said Friday that it had proactively recalled yellow onions shipped to its customers from its Colorado facility and continues to work with the CDC and FDA as they investigate.

While it is unclear whether the recalled onions were the source of the outbreak, several other fast food restaurants, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King, removed onions from some menus in certain areas this week.

Colorado had the most illnesses reported as of Friday, with 26 cases. At least 13 people fell ill in Montana, 11 in Nebraska, 5 in New Mexico and Utah, 4 in Missouri and Wyoming, two in Michigan and one each in Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, Wisconsin and Washington, the CDC reported.

McDonald’s said Friday that it did not remove the Quarter Pounder from any additional restaurants and noted that some cases in states outside the original region were travel-related.

The CDC said some people who became ill reported traveling to other states before symptoms began. At least three people said they ate at McDonald’s during their trip. Illnesses were reported between September 27 and October 11.

The outbreak involves infections with E. coli 0157:H7, a type of bacteria that produces a dangerous toxin. It causes about 74,000 infections in the U.S. each year, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of E. coli poisoning can occur quickly, one to two days after eating contaminated food. They usually include fever, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, and signs of dehydration: little or no urination, increased thirst, and dizziness. The infection is especially dangerous for children under 5 years old, elderly people, pregnant people, or people who have weakened immune systems.