A teenager is hospitalized with E. coli after eating a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. Symptom details

A 15-year-old girl from Grand Junction, Colorado, talks about the first E. coli symptoms she says she felt after eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder.

The popular sandwiches have been linked to a bacterial outbreak in 13 states that has sickened 75 people, including one death and two hospitalizations, according to the data. data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The most likely source of the outbreak is chopped onions placed on top of a McDonald’s hamburger. stated in the press release. The onion distributor in the affected region, Taylor Farms, said that while no specific ingredient has been confirmed as the source, it has “preventatively recalled” yellow onions.

McDonald’s also stopped buying onions from Taylor Farms and removed Quarter Pounders from menus at about 900 locations, but the fast food giant plans to start selling them again this week without the onions.

The girl, Camberlin Bowler, is currently in the hospital with kidney failure. first interview about her illness with NBC News.

Teenager recalls symptoms that led to hospitalization

Camberlin, a previously healthy teenager, had gone to McDonald’s several times in the days before she became ill. She ordered her favorite quarter pounder with cheese and pickles.

Her first symptoms — a fever and abdominal pain — began the following month, her mother Brittany Randall said.

“(My mom and I) both thought I just had a fever, like it was just the flu or something—a stomach bug,” Camberlin told NBC News. “But then I started vomiting, I had diarrhea, and the blood was bloody, so it scared me.”

Randall took her daughter to the emergency room, but tests turned up nothing. Then the teenager got worse.

After nearly a week of symptoms, Camberlin said she needed to go back to the doctor. “It scared me. I was scared,” she recalled.

During a second visit to the doctor, tests revealed that Camberlin was in kidney failure due to a severe E. coli infection. She was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora on Oct. 18 and remains there.

“It was just scary to see her body working against her,” Randall said. “It was hard. I had to take time off from work, she made the school softball team, she had to miss the last couple of games because she was sick.”

The teenager was diagnosed with enterohemorrhagic hemolytic uremic syndrome associated with Escherichia coli (HUS), a rare complication of E. coli infection caused by bacteria that damage the kidneys.

Camberlin has undergone several rounds of dialysis, and while her kidneys may be able to function again, the extent of long-term damage is unknown, Randall said.

“We’re not entirely sure what moving forward will look like,” she said. “She will probably have to undergo another round of dialysis. We hope it’s the latter, but we don’t know either.”

Before contracting E. coli, Camberlin had no underlying health conditions. She played softball at her high school.

“She went from being super healthy and without any problems to living with possibly kidney damage,” Randall said.

In an email, a McDonald’s spokesperson told NBC News that stories like Camberlin’s are “devastating to us.”

“We know this has had a significant impact on individuals and families, and the well-being of our customers is very important to us,” the email said.

Lawsuits against McDonald’s outbreak

Multiple lawsuits There have already been lawsuits filed against McDonald’s over the Quarter Pounder E. coli outbreak. Ron Simon, a lawyer representing Camberlin and 32 other victims, told NBC News he plans to file Camberlin’s lawsuit this week. He added that he has received hundreds of calls since the outbreak began.

“There will be many more cases than 75 in this outbreak,” Simon said.

One of the lawsuits was filed by Clarissa DeBock, 33, a secretary from North Platte, Nebraska, who claims she ate a quarter pounder on Sept. 18 and ended up in the emergency room a week later. DeBock is also a client of Simon’s.

On October 27, McDonald’s President Joe Erlinger apologized to customers. videopromising to regain the trust of customers.

“On behalf of the McDonald’s system, I want you to hear me say: We are very sorry,” he said. “To those customers who have been harmed, I promise that, guided by our values, we will make things right.”

Symptoms of E. coli

According to CDCThe following signs of E. coli infection require medical attention:

• Diarrhea and fever above 102°F.
  • Diarrhea for more than three days without improvement.
• Bloody diarrhea
• The vomiting is so strong that it is impossible to keep the liquid down.
• Signs of dehydration, such as little urination, dry mouth and throat, and dizziness when standing up.

Symptoms usually appear three to four days after consuming the bacteria, and most people usually recover without treatment within five to seven days, according to the CDC.

NBC News Christina Romans, Elizabeth Chuck and Laura Allenbaugh contributed reporting.