Costco Chicken Salad Linked to E.coli Outbreak

Nineteen people in seven states including California contracted E. coli from chicken salad from Costco, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report.

The cases are spread across the country, with reports of people who have fallen ill in California, Washington, Missouri, Virginia, Colorado, Utah and Montana.

This current strain that has been linked to Costco was identified, as E. coli 157 that the CDC has said is more apt to be more harmful in particular for young children. The organization found that 14 out of 16 people had eaten a Costco rotisserie chicken salad before falling ill. Costco’s vice president of food safety Craig Wilson informed that the company stopped sales of the salad on the same day on which the federal health officials notified the corporation that the rotisserie chicken salad it was selling has links with cases of E. coli infection.

Health officials urge anyone with symptoms, especially those who have eaten Costco’s rotisserie chicken salad, to see a doctor. Ill people range in age from 5 years to 84, with a median age of 18. People were hospitalized in the Chipotle outbreak, but no one developed kidney failure.

Bill Marler, a food safety advocate and attorney, said the E.coli O157 form related to the chicken salad has a tendency to get a higher number of folks develop kidney failure than the six other forms of E.coli.

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. Hundreds of E. coli bacteria naturally reside in a human intestine, but some strains can cause diseases, the CDC said.

CDC has also advised the public on Tuesday to get rid of any rotisserie chicken salad sold from any Costco store on or before November 20. “Symptoms can include abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which can sometimes be bloody”, CNN reported.

The bacteria are associated with animal waste but aren’t just associated with meat.

One additional test is needed to confirm that the vegetables carried the same E. coli strain connected with the outbreak, he said.

Wilson said there is no problem with the retailer’s rotisserie chicken, which it continues to sell.