DIGIVESTASI - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released the latest data regarding the increasing number of victims infected with E. coli bacteria after consuming McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers. As of Friday (October 25) local time, the number of cases has risen to 75 people, up from the previous 49 who experienced food poisoning.

According to Reuters on Saturday (October 26), of the 61 reported cases, 22 required hospitalization. Two patients even developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure. The E. coli O157: H7 strain found in the Quarter Pounder has caused one death and is considered a dangerous disease, especially for the elderly, children, and individuals with weakened immune systems.

As a precaution, McDonald's has stopped selling the Quarter Pounder in 20% of its restaurants out of a total of 14,000 outlets. This incident has also negatively impacted the company's stock, which dropped by about 2.97 percent to USD 292.61 per share at the close of trading on Wall Street, Friday. BTIG analyst Peter Saleh stated that the incident is raising investor concerns.

"We expect the possibility of more infections in the near future, and the biggest risk for investors is the continued cycle of negative news," said Peter.

Infection Source Suspected to be Onions

Based on the initial investigation conducted by the FDA and McDonald's, the source of the E. coli bacteria is likely from the onions used in the Quarter Pounder. These onions were supplied by Taylor Farms, which distributes them to three distribution centers.

Taylor Farms is the supplier for the affected regions, and McDonald's has voluntarily recalled the product. In addition, Taylor Farms has also recalled several batches of yellow onions produced at their Colorado facility.

On Friday night, McDonald's confirmed that onions from the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado had been distributed to approximately 900 restaurants in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and several other states. McDonald's has decided to halt the supply of onions from that facility indefinitely.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that although onions are suspected to be the main source of the infection, they are also testing samples of the beef used in the burgers to ensure there is no presence of E. coli.

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