Health
E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s burgers: How to spot the symptoms
A widespread E. coli outbreak has been linked to a McDonald’s product, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A total of 49 people across 10 states have reported infections after eating the Quarter Pounder hamburger from the fast-food chain, the agency stated in a food safety alert released on Tuesday.
Ten people were hospitalized, and one death has been reported.
A majority of the infections were reported in Colorado and Nebraska.
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McDonald’s is working with several health agencies — including the CDC, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) — to investigate which ingredient in the Quarter Pounders is leading to the illness, the CDC noted.
A widespread E. coli outbreak has been linked to a McDonald’s product, according to the CDC. (iStock)
In the meantime, restaurant locations in some states have stopped using quarter-pound beef patties and slivered onions until the ingredient has been identified.
What is E. coli?
E. coli — officially known as Escherichia coli — is a type of bacteria found in the environment, foods and intestines of people and animals, according to the CDC.
Harry Kopolovich, MD, chairman of emergency medicine at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, noted that E. Coli is a commonly occurring bacteria.
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“E. Coli is a natural part of our collective GI system,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Most strains are harmless and exist in our gut as part of the normal flora that supports good digestive health.”
Restaurant locations in some states have stopped using quarter-pound beef patties and slivered onions until the ingredient has been identified. (iStock)
Certain subtypes of the strain, specifically 0157:H7, can cause serious disease and death in a subset of individuals, the doctor cautioned.
“Given that E. coli is so present in the environment, it can easily spread from individual to individual by poor hygienic processes,” he added.
“Given that E. coli is so present in the environment, it can easily spread from individual to individual by poor hygienic processes.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, previously told Fox News Digital that E. coli is an intestinal bacteria that may propagate in cows and chickens used for meat, “especially when they are raised in squalor or close together.”
Certain subtypes of E. coli can cause serious disease and death in a subset of individuals, doctors caution. (iStock)
“Since poultry and meat cows are often fed antibiotics to help them grow and to ward off infections, this helps to breed resistant strains, which emerge amid antibiotic overuse,” Siegel added.
The outbreak likely stemmed from meat not being cooked enough, the doctor said, or it could have spread through uncooked vegetables, such as the onions on the burgers.
“Food handlers can also spread it,” Siegel added.
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The best way to avoid infection is to use “good and common sense precautions,” Kopolovich said.
These include handwashing and thoroughly disinfecting food preparation surfaces, as well as cooking food to the appropriate temperature to avoid foodborne illness.
Symptoms and treatment
Symptoms of E. coli illness include — but are not limited to — severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), vomiting, respiratory illness, urinary tract infections, fever and pneumonia, according to the CDC.
Symptoms of E. coli illness include — but are not limited to — severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, respiratory illness, urinary tract infections, fever and pneumonia, according to the CDC. (iStock)
“Most of the time, it causes cramping and diarrhea and even bloody stools, but you typically recover in about a week,” Siegel said.
After exposure, the infection has a “dormant or incubation period” of roughly three days, Kopolovich noted, but it can be as long as 10 days following consumption.
“Most people tend to recover without any treatment after approximately five to seven days,” he said.
Although rare, some people with E. coli can develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure or other life-threatening complications, per the CDC.
The CDC recommends seeing a health care provider for “diarrhea that lasts for more than three days or diarrhea that is accompanied by a fever higher than 102˚F, bloody diarrhea, or so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down and you pass very little urine.” (iStock)
“Anywhere from 15% to 20% of children infected with STEC will go on to develop a complication of HUS, which is characterized by an abrupt decrease in hemoglobin, platelet counts and an acute kidney injury,” Kopolovich told Fox News Digital.
Symptoms of HUS include extreme fatigue, decreased urination and loss of color in the face and lower eyelids.
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The CDC recommends seeing a health care provider for “diarrhea that lasts for more than three days or diarrhea that is accompanied by a fever higher than 102˚F, bloody diarrhea, or so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down and you pass very little urine.”
People should also seek medical attention for abdominal pain that does not improve with Tylenol (acetaminophen), according to Kopolovich.
To prevent E. coli, experts recommend handwashing and thoroughly disinfecting food preparation surfaces, as well as cooking food to the appropriate temperature. (iStock)
Patients who take medications or have a preexisting medical condition — such as an autoimmune disease, heart failure or kidney disease — could be at a higher risk for serious complications, the doctor added.
“You can’t really treat with antibiotics because when the bacteria die, more of the toxin is released,” Siegel said. “So you have to treat with supportive care and hydration.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to McDonald’s for comment.
McDonald’s North America chief supply chain officer Cesar Piña said in an internal statement that the company is “taking swift and decisive action” to address the outbreak, and reported that “the initial findings from the investigation indicate that a subset of illnesses may be linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder and sourced by a single supplier that serves three distribution centers.”
Fox News Digital’s Breck Dumas contributed reporting.
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
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