1982 The first documented E. coli outbreak in the United States took place in Michigan and Oregon and involved E. coli O157:H7 (an STEC strain). Investigators connected the outbreak to ground beef in hamburgers.
1993 Undercooked beef patties sold by the fast-food chain Jack in the Box sparked a major multistate outbreak that led to over 700 infections and 4 deaths, prompting stricter food safety regulations.
2006 Contaminated fresh spinach was linked to 183 E. coli cases across 26 states. Over half the people who became ill were hospitalized, 16 percent developed a serious kidney condition known as HUS (hemolytic uremic syndrome), and one person died.
2015 A multistate outbreak at Chipotle Mexican Grill caused 55 E. coli cases and 21 hospitalizations. The food source was never identified.
2018 Contaminated romaine lettuce was the source of an outbreak involving 210 infections across 36 U.S. states. Five people died.
2022 The fast-food chain Wendy’s made headlines for an E. coli outbreak that resulted in illness in 97 people. Of these, 52 were hospitalized and 13 developed HUS, but no deaths occurred. The food source of the outbreak could not be confirmed.
2024 An outbreak in the area of Lake Anna, Virginia, caused infections in 25 people. It’s likely that water contamination in Lake Anna, from various sources, resulted in E. coli infections in swimmers.
2024 The fast-food chain McDonald’s was involved in an outbreak that caused more than 100 illnesses and one death. E. coli was linked to slivered onions used in the Quarter Pounder burgers.
2024 Organic whole and baby carrots sold at major retailers like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods were recalled from 18 states after it was determined that they could be contaminated with E. coli. At least 39 people got sick, 15 were hospitalized, and one person died.