McDonald's Has An E. Coli Outbreak. Here Are The Signs Of The Infection.

Should you be worried? And how can you avoid getting sick in the future? Here's what to know.

In 10 states throughout the country, 49 people have gotten ill and one has died after an E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s. Infected people reported eating a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder, and experts suspect the beef or the onions on the hamburger sickened folks.

E. coli is often tied to food. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 73,000 people are infected by the E. coli strain involved in the McDonald’s outbreak each year in the U.S.

“E. coli is a bacteria that is very, very common. We all have some E. coli in our intestines, and animals have E. coli,” said Dr. James Gaensbauer, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. “So, when we talk about E. coli in the context of these outbreaks, we’re really talking about a particular strain of the bacteria that is more likely to cause disease.”

The one that infected McDonald’s patrons is one of those particular strains that can cause more issues.

“The bacteria is ingested by mouth and most of the time that’s related to foods that have been previously contaminated by the bacteria, but can also be through things like exposure to animals, particularly to cattle, or to other people that are contagious from the E. coli,” as it can spread through fecal-mouth contamination, Gaensbauer explained. “But I think the vast majority comes from eating food that has been contaminated by the bacteria.”