The investigation is continuing and the CDC, along with state and local public health officials, are trying to identify other cases of illness associated with the chicken salad.
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The company uses one supplier for those vegetables in the chicken salad sold in all its US stores, Wilson said.
The Centers for Disease Control expects E. Coli cases linked to Costco’s rotisserie chicken salad to rise, and potentially spread in the coming weeks.
A joint investigation between Costco and the CDC into what ingredient caused the development of E. Coli is now underway.
“Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 6, 2015 to November 3, 2015”, the CDC alert states.
Costco operates five stores in Montana, in Billings, Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula. You can contact Ryan and the PritzkerOlsen Bad Bug Law Team for help now at 1-888-377-8900.
Several civil lawsuits have already been filed by victims in Washington, Oregon and Minnesota in relation to the current E. coli outbreak and the Salmonella outbreak earlier this fall. That means that all were sickened by the same source of food.
Tauxe emphasized that the agency does not have any evidence that other Costco food was contaminated. Chickens have not been connected to the outbreak.
On Nov. 20, Costco said it had removed all remaining rotisserie chicken salad from its USA stores and stopped making the product until further notice.
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A Costco Wholesale Corp. executive named Taylor Farms as the supplier of onions and celery used in chicken salad that has been linked to an E. coli outbreak, saying federal officials notified Costco of the “wonderful news”. “Symptoms can include abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which can sometimes be bloody”, CNN reported. The incubation period is three to seven days from the time of exposure. This strain is a notorious one and produces a harmful toxin named Shiga toxin. If this occurs the person affected should seek medical attention immediately. The product has been pulled from shelves and production of it has been put on hold.
