How does E. coli spread at a big chain like McDonald’s?
Global News
The outbreak of E. coli has left many wondering if their beloved burgers are safe to eat -- including if you're a consumer in Canada.
A United States E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders has killed one person and sent 10 people to the hospital, including a child who developed kidney disease.
And as health officials scramble to identify the source of the contamination, many are left wondering if their beloved burgers are safe to eat — including if you’re a consumer in Canada.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the overall risk to the public is low now that McDonald’s has pulled Quarter Pounders from restaurants in affected states, E. coli still remains a serious concern, warned Keith Warriner, a food safety professor at the University of Guelph.
“E. coli is a very virulent pathogen with several strains,” he told Global News. “And the worst of the bad E. coli is what we call E. coli O157, and the problem with this pathogen is that it can cause a deadly condition of organ failure, and it is very virulent.”
The E. coli O157:H7 strain, responsible for the McDonald’s outbreak, poses a significant risk to young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised people, Warriner said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the E. coli outbreak late Tuesday, with 49 infections identified between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11 across ten states.
The CDC confirmed that all the affected individuals had eaten Quarter Pounders, resulting in 10 hospitalizations, including a child with complications from hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a kidney-affecting disease. An older individual in Colorado has also died.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that the Biden administration is monitoring the situation and collaborating with the CDC to identify the source of the outbreak.