Nineteen people in seven states, including California, have contracted E. coli in an outbreak linked to chicken salad bought at Costco, federal health officials said Tuesday.
People who bought chicken salad at any U.S. Costco store on or before last Friday Nov. 20, were advised to throw it away, even if no one has gotten sick.
The strain of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can be life-threatening, but no deaths have been reported in the current outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said five people have been hospitalized and two have developed a type of kidney failure.
The CDC and state health officials were investigating and have not yet determined what ingredient in the rotisserie chicken salad made and sold in Costco Wholesale stores could be the source of the outbreak.
Six people have become ill in Montana, five in Utah, four in Colorado and one each in California, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state. The CDC said the illness reports began on Oct. 6 and involved people from age 5 to 84.