They added that the cases of infection happened across seven states.
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The four Coloradans who were confirmed to be infected with E.coli from Costco chicken salad have recuperated, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said Wednesday.
According to a news release from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, two Montanans required hospitalization after eating Costco rotisserie chicken salad, though it is unclear whether either of those individuals suffered kidney failure, as was reported by the by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a news release November 24.
The strain linked to the Mexican food chain was identified as E. coli 026, while the one tied to Costco is E. coli 157, which the CDC said is more likely to be harmful.
Most of the cases have affected western States such as California, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Virginia.
The Costco product being investigated is labeled “Chicken Salad made with Rotisserie Chicken” with item number 37719.
Wilson says the company uses one supplier for those vegetables in the chicken salad sold in all its US stores.
Researchers at the CDC made the link between the illnesses and the chicken salad after 14 out of the 16 people who the CDC interviewed said they had purchased or ate rotisserie chicken salad from Costco in the week before they got sick.
At least 19 people have been reported sick from E. coli. “Five ill people have been hospitalized, and two have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure”. So far, the investigation has not identified what specific ingredient in the chicken salad is linked to the illness.
There is no evidence that any other Costco food was contaminated at this time.
They also advised that any who has purchased such a salad before November 20, 2015 ought throw it away.
The strain Shiga toxin-producing E. coli could be fatal, but there have not been any deaths reported in this outbreak.
This outbreak is unrelated to the recent E. coli case that involved the Chipotle restaurants where over 40 people fell ill.
Symptoms linked with this particular strain of E.coli include diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
Health officials say the incubation period is three to seven days from the time of exposure.
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This outbreak can be illustrated with a chart showing the number of people who became ill each day.
