A McDonald's sandwich is making people sick in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
E. coli, a type of bacteria that can cause serious stomach problems, was found in McDonald's Quarter Pounder sandwiches, the CDC announced Tuesday.
So far, the CDC has recorded 49 cases of illness in 10 states. Ten cases required hospitalization of patients and one person died.
Most cases have been recorded in Western and Midwestern states, according to the CDC.
The fast food restaurant is working with investigators to determine which ingredients caused the outbreak, according to a CDC statement.
“McDonald's has extracted the ingredients from these burgers, and they will not be available for sale in some states,” the agency said.
“It is not yet known which specific food ingredient is contaminated,” the CDC added, noting that McDonald's has already “stopped using fresh sliced onions and quarter-pound beef patties in several states.”
The CDC said sliced onions are believed to be the likely source of contamination, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigators are working to determine whether the onions were sold to other companies.
No recalls have yet been issued by the CDC or other health and food regulators.
The first case was recorded on September 27, according to investigators. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 88 years old.
Of the 10 people hospitalized, one person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious illness that can lead to kidney failure.
Another person, who the CDC described as a “senior Colorado citizen,” died after eating at McDonald's.
Cases have been reported in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
McDonald's shares fell about 9% on the New York Stock Exchange after the news was announced Tuesday.
In a statement, McDonald's said a preliminary investigation found “a subset of illnesses may be linked to sliced onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced from a single supplier that serves three distribution centers.”
The Chicago-based company added that it has asked all local restaurants “to remove this product from their supply” and has suspended shipments of chopped onions to the area.
The sandwich is also temporarily removed from the menu in several states, the company said, adding, “We take food safety extremely seriously and it's the right thing to do.”
Other meat items remain on the menu, McDonald's USA President Joe Erlinger said in a video message.
“At McDonald’s, you can count on us to do the right thing,” he said.
E. coli is a diverse group of bacteria that normally live in the intestines of humans and animals.
Although many are harmless, some produce toxins that can make you sick.
Symptoms include severe and sometimes bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever.
It usually takes a few days after being infected for symptoms to appear.
This is not the first outbreak of E. coli to affect McDonald's in recent years.
In 2022, six Alabama children became ill from E. coli after eating chicken McNuggets.
Four children were hospitalized. Health inspectors then visited the affected restaurant and found several violations, including poor hand washing and a lack of gloves.
