Twenty of those people have been hospitalized.
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A search of the PulseNet database identified one person in Minnesota infected with STEC O26 that has the same DNA fingerprint as ill people in Washington and Oregon.
Of the 52 people interviewed by CDC investigators, 47 reported eating at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant before becoming sick, according to the CDC.
The recent discovery of E. coli O157:H7 in Costco brand rotisserie chicken salad initiated wide recalls of the product throughout 18 states.
The company retained Seattle-based IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group to perform a farm-to-fork assessment of Chipotle’s ingredients and food safety practices.
On Friday, in response to the E. coli outbreak, Chipotle announced that it will tighten its safety standards.
The CDC had said in late November that additional cases could be reported for illnesses that started after October 31.
Among people for whom information is available, illnesses started on dates ranging from October 19, 2015, to November 8, 2015.
But in striving for higher food safety standards, Chipotle said it may not be able to use as much locally sourced produce. And today, it said illnesses that began after November 11 may have not been reported yet. They joined California, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Washington. While most strains of E. Coli are not very risky but some can cause problems such as abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fatigue, gas, nausea and fever, reports Morning Ticker.
The procedures are expected to reduce the chances of another outbreak but also make it more hard to source ingredients from small local suppliers that can’t afford the technology and bureaucracy associated with increased scrutiny. It also added that ingredients likely to have been connected to E. coli are no longer in Chipotle’s restaurants or supply system.
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In its annual report, Chipotle noted that its business model may make it more vulnerable to food-borne illness.
