A Colorado teen told NBC News she is battling kidney failure as a result of E. coli poisoning linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.
Kamberlyn Bowler, a 15-year-old from Grand Junction, spoke exclusively with the outlet, reportedly stating she was a healthy and active high school freshman before things took a turn after she went to her local McDonald’s several times to get her favorite meal.
Her symptoms began with a fever before progressing to bloody diarrhea and vomiting, she told NBC News. She initially went to the emergency room, but scans found nothing. Later she went back to the hospital and tests showed she had severe renal failure from an E. coli infection.
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At least 75 people across 13 states have been infected with E. coli after reportedly eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounders, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Most of those cases have been in Colorado, including one person who died from the infection.
Symptoms from an E. coli infection typically start three to four days after ingesting the bacteria, but most people recover within a week. However, there are rare and severe cases, like Bowler’s, in which the infection can develop into a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure, permanent health problems and even death.
Testing linked the outbreak to onions served on the burgers, and one of the fast food chain’s suppliers — Taylor Farms in California — issued a recall. Quarter Pounders were briefly taken off McDonald’s menu until further testing ruled out its beef as the E. coli source.
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Meanwhile, Bowler and her family told NBC News they plan to sue. For now, they are focused on her recovery as she undergoes multiple rounds of dialysis.
