Six Montanans sickened by tainted chicken salad

At least 19 people cases have been reported across seven states, including neighboring California and Utah.

Of those who tested positive for E. coli, five have been hospitalized and two developed a type of kidney failure.

On a report broadcast by CBS morning news on Wednesday, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist from Vanderbilt University, described the strain of E. coli discovered in Costco chicken salad as “much more hazardous” than that discovered at the Chipotle restaurant chain. This strain linked to Costco chicken salad is particularly worrisome because it can be life-threatening.

Another recent food borne illness due to E. coli is linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., ranging from the Pacific Northwest other states, the CDC said on Friday. “We are working with Costco”, said Alicia Cronquist, an epidemiologist at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The operation of Costco in Hoover, Huntsville, Montgomery and Mobile has since been stopped and all chicken salad and the remaining rotisserie was destroyed as of November 20.

Contact your health care provider if you think you may have become ill from eating rotisserie chicken salad from Costco.

The majority of illnesses have been reported from states in the western United States.

If you have rotisserie chicken salad from Costco in your refrigerator, the government says you should throw it out. However, the specific ingredient in the chicken salad linked to the outbreak has not been identified, the agency said. This isn’t the first time Costco has found itself in the middle of a food contamination scandal, reported Reuters. The ages of people who have fallen ill range from 5 to 84. Visit the CDC to find out more about the outbreak.

“They haven’t confirmed that it’s Costco”, he said. That outbreak sickened 40 people and closed 43 restaurants in Washington and Oregon.

“I think we’re going to learn something important from both ultimately”, he said.

The symptoms of an E. coli O157:H7 infection include severe abdominal cramps, bloody and watery diarrhea, a mild fever, nausea, and vomiting. It can take 3 to 7 days from the time of exposure to E. coli until symptoms appear.

Colorado health officials added four of the cases reflect patients whom have already recovered.