Local case of e-coli linked to Chipotle restaurant outbreak

Chipotle voluntarily closed down 43 of its locations in Washington and the Portland area as a precaution after an E. coli outbreak linked to six of its restaurants in the two states has sickened almost two dozen people.

More forty five people have been infected with the food illness in California, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, OR and Washington.

COUNTY, NY- The Erie County Health Department says they are investigating Shiga toxin producing e-coli in an Erie County resident.

“The epidemiologic evidence available at this time suggests that a common meal item or ingredient served at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in several states is a likely source of this outbreak”, the CDC’s statement said.

Following this news, shares of the company fell as much as 9% in afternoon trading. The stock was already down 11 percent this year before Friday, hurt by concerns about slowing growth at the Mexican chain. The same strain of E.coli has previously been linked to more than 40 cases across the country, closing down various Chipotle restaurants. The restaurants reopened about two weeks ago. But that person didn’t eat at Chipotle in the week before getting ill, the agency said. “There have been no reported new cases in Washington or OR since Chipotle put its remediation plan into effect”.

The CDC is using whole genome sequencing, an advanced technique, to identify cases.