Anyone who has consumed a Quarter Pounder hamburger from McDonald’s in recent weeks is being urged to stay alert if they notice changes to their bodies.
A major outbreak of the bacteria E Coli has been linked to about fast food stores in Mountain West states, killing one and hospitalizing 10 others.
The outbreak has resulted in about 2,700 stores, roughly one-fifth of those in the US, discontinuing the chain’s Quarter Pounder, as officials suspect its patty or onions may have been contaminated.
The CDC says anyone who ate a Quarter Pounder – which is consumed by 100,000 Americans per day – and feels sick should contact their doctor immediately.
And food safety experts told DailyMail.com that those who ate at McDonald’s should remain vigilant for two to eight days after being exposed, as symptoms could take about a week to start.
E Coli kills up to a fifth of people it infects, so the advice is not to wait and to seek help immediately. So far 49 Americans are confirmed to have the illness after eating at McDonald’s but that is likely a vast undercount, the CDC says.
Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli include severe diarrhea and vomiting
The Quarter Pounder has been pulled from menus in 10 states due to being the suspected source of an E coli outbreak. Pictured is a menu board at a store in Colorado, which has recorded the highest number of cases
Tom Skinner, a spokesperson for the CDC, said: ‘We fully expect to see more cases.
‘McDonald’s has moved rather quickly to take action to, hopefully, prevent as many cases as possible.’
However, the agency warned customers: ‘If you have severe symptoms of E. coli infection after eating a Quarter Pounder hamburger at McDonald’s, seek health care and tell your provider about what you ate.’
While most patients recover on their own, those with severe illness may have been subjected to bloody diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and dehydration.
The agency also advises seeking help for diarrhea that lasts for at least three days with no improvement or vomiting so severe that it’s difficult to keep liquids down.
Affected patients were sickened with the 0157:H7 strain of E coli, the same one that linked to Jack in the Box killed four children in 1993. Shari Shea, director of food safety at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, warned that it can cause very serious disease.’
Mitzi Baum, a food safety expert and CEO of nonprofit Stop Foodborne Illness, told DailyMail.com: ‘If you have eaten a Quarter Pounder recently and are showing the symptoms described above, please seek medical attention immediately. In order for your illness to be treated appropriately, you need to be tested for E. coli.
‘Tell your medical provider that you believe that you are part of the current E. coli outbreak associated with McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, and you want to be tested for E. coli.’
Stool, blood, and urine tests can detect the bacteria.
She also noted that despite the outbreak, ‘consumers don’t need to avoid the restaurant entirely,’ as affected items have been removed from restaurants in impacted states.
The outbreak spread to 10 states: Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Oregon.
This means that customers living in those states are most at risk of infection if they ate a Quarter Pounder between September 27 and October 11.
Ms Baum said that young children and the elderly should be particularly vigilant, as they are more likely to have compromised immune systems, making them more vulnerable to severe infections.
She said: ‘They can develop a serious complication of E.coli poisoning called hemolytic uremia syndrome (HUS). If it occurs, it develops an average of seven days after the first symptoms, when the diarrhea is improving.’
HUS is the complication that hospitalized the unidentified child mentioned in the CDC’s report. It affects about 200 to 300 Americans per year and kills less than one in 20 of those.
Severe E. coli infections can cause bloody diarrhea, painful stomach cramps, and kidney damage
Symptoms of HUS include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin, fatigue, irritability, bruising, and bleeding from the nose and mouth, Ms Baum said.
There is no specific treatment for E coli, so most patients are expected to rest and drink plenty of fluids to stave off dehydration, Ms Baum said.
The CDC recommends severe E coli be treated with IV fluids, blood transfusions, and kidney dialysis if patients suffer from the complication hemolytic uremic syndrome, which damages the kidneys.
Ms Baum said: ‘Antibiotics should not be used to treat this infection. There is no evidence that treatment with antibiotics is helpful, and taking antibiotics may increase the risk of HUS.’
The Mayo Clinic recommends avoiding anti-diarrhea medications, as they slow down the digestive system and prevent the body from getting rid of toxins, meaning it could keep you sick longer.
McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger said Wednesday that the fast food chain will need to rebuild trust with the public amid the outbreak. Shares in the company have already fallen by nearly six percent as a result.