News

E. coli outbreak traced to Costco chicken salad

So far 19 people in seven states have been infected with five being hospitalized.

November 25, 2015

E. coli found in rotisserie chicken salad sold through Costco Wholesale Corp. has sickened at least 19 consumers across seven states, reports Reuters, and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention stated five of those infected are hospitalized.

Two people are fighting hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, according to the report.

The infections took place in Washington, Missouri, Virginia, Colorado, Utah, Montana and California.

A lawyer specializing in food-safety issues and cases told Reuters the number will very likely climb given the strain of E. coli 0157:H7 is already much higher than typically seen with outbreak incidents.

"This tells me that the number of ill is likely going to go up because the HUS cases are easier to track," attorney Bill Marler told Reuters.

According to the federal agency, 14 of the 16 consumers purchased or ate the salad in the week before the outbreak was identified and officials haven’t yet determined what ingredient is causing the infection. Costco stated it stopped salad sales on Nov. 20 after the CDC notified the company the salad was linked to the E. coli outbreak.