Utah reports 5 E. coli cases linked to Costco chicken salad


Save Story

Show 1 more video

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Nineteen cases of E. coli in at least four states, including Utah, have been linked to chicken salad sold by Costco, according to health department investigators.

Laine McCullough, an epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health, said five cases of E. coli have been reported in Utah. No deaths have been reported, but two people have been hospitalized, she said.

McCullough said the Costco chicken salad has not tested positive for E. coli, but health officials in multiple states identified a "strong association" between the chicken salad and the cluster of illnesses. Four out of the five people in Utah who were sickened by E. coli reported eating Costco chicken salad, McCullough said.

The state health department is urging people who purchased "Chicken Salad made with Rotisserie Chicken," marked item number 37719, to return it to the Costco store where they purchased it or throw it away.

Costco removed the chicken salad from its stores Friday.

"With the upcoming holidays, we're urging people to be very smart about food preparation," McCullough said. "Keep foods that need to be refrigerated refrigerated and make sure their cooking temperatures are good so we can prevent even more illness."

The people who were sickened by E. coli in Utah started showing symptoms in late October, according to health officials. They range in age from 9 to 84.

Contaminated item number
If you have purchased "Chicken Salad made with Rotisserie Chicken," marked item number 37719, return it to the Costco store where you purchased it or throw it away.

The Utah Department of Health said it is working with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address the outbreak.

Colorado, Montana and Washington have also confirmed E. coli cases linked to the chicken salad. E. coli was reported in three other states that health officials said could be linked.

E. coli is a bacteria that lives in the intestines and can cause mild diarrhea to severe abdominal cramps, respiratory illness and pneumonia. People most commonly get E. coli by eating food containing the bacteria. Symptoms usually appear within two to 10 days.

The strain found in this case, O157:H7, is one of the most virulent and can lead to bloody diarrhea, kidney failure and even death.

The CDC estimates that this strain of E. coli causes 2,200 hospitalizations and 60 deaths every year in the U.S.

Contributing: Mike Anderson


Email: dchen@deseretnews.com Twitter: DaphneChen_

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

U.S.Utah
Daphne Chen

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast