The CDC said their own evidence suggests that rotisserie chicken salad made and sold at their wholesale stores are likely the source of the outbreak.
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People who purchased the chicken salad in any Costco US store on or prior to Friday have been advised to throw the chicken salad out even if no one has taken ill.
Most of the cases have affected western States such as California, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Virginia.
The chicken salad itself has not tested positive for the E.Coli O157:H7 bacteria. The product has been pulled from shelves and production of it has been put on hold. “No deaths have been reported”, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a report as quoted by NBC News. The E. coli strain found in the rotisserie chicken salad was identified as E. coli 157.
A lawyer who represents people who were sickened in the outbreak related to Chipotle, said it appears as though this outbreak is serious since two of the people sickened and hospitalized developed a type of kidney failure.
Costco’s stopped making and selling it. As health departments get more reports of foodborne illness, additional people will be checked for the fingerprint and the case count will likely rise, Tauxe said.
The CDC is still unaware of the specific ingredient that is linked to the infection, only knowing that 14 of those infected bought or ate rotisserie chicken salad from Costco in late October to early November.
The department encourages anyone who has eaten the product and feels ill to contact their health care provider. Chipotle voluntarily closed 43 restaurants in Washington and OR after that outbreak.
One of the biggest concerns for the health officials at this moment is that the exact ingredient of the rotisserie chicken salad causing the infection hasn’t been identified yet. Illness can be severe and include diarrhea, often bloody, and abdominal cramps.
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Health officials say the incubation period is three to seven days from the time of exposure.
