CDC: 19 E. Coli Cases Tied to Costco Chicken Salad

By MARY ANN BARTON (Patch Staff)

CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, and public health officials in several states are investigating an outbreak of E. coli.

A total of 19 people infected with the outbreak have been reported from 7 states. The number of ill people reported from each state is as follows: California (1), Colorado (4), Missouri (1), Montana (6), Utah (5), Virginia (1), and Washington (1).

There are Costco stores in Woodbridge, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Chantilly, Fairfax, Sterling and Leesburg.

Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 6, 2015 to November 3, 2015. Ill people range in age from 5 years to 84, with a median age of 18. Fifty-seven percent of ill people are female. Five (29%) people reported being hospitalized, and two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

Investigation of the Outbreak

The epidemiologic evidence available to investigators at this time suggests that rotisserie chicken salad made and sold in Costco stores is a likely source of this outbreak, the CDC said. The ongoing investigation has not identified what specific ingredient in the chicken salad is linked to illness.

State and local public health officials are interviewing ill people to obtain information about foods they might have eaten and other exposures in the week before their illness started. Fourteen (88%) of 16 people purchased or ate rotisserie chicken salad from Costco.

On Nov. 20, Costco reported to public health officials that the company had removed all remaining rotisserie chicken salad from all stores in the United States and stopped further production of the product until further notice.

Updates will be provided when more information is available.

At A Glance

• Case Count: 19
• States: 7
• Deaths: 0
• Hospitalizations: 5
• Recall: No

More Information

• Advice to Consumers
• Signs & Symptoms