E. coli tied to Costco more dangerous than Chipotle outbreak

SEATTLE — The strain of E. coli linked to Costco chicken salad that sickened 19 people in seven states is more likely to be life-threatening than a recent outbreak that closed some Chipotle restaurants in the Northwest.

Health officials urged people who bought chicken salad at any U.S. Costco store on or before Friday to throw it away, even if no one has gotten sick.

The CDC and state health officials were investigating and have not yet determined what ingredient in the rotisserie chicken salad made and sold in Costco Wholesale stores could be the source of the outbreak.

The illnesses are not related to a recent E. coli outbreak tied to Chipotle that sickened more than 40 people.

The strain linked to the Mexican food chain was identified as E. coli 026, while the one tied to Costco is E. coli 157, which the CDC said is more likely to be harmful, especially in young children.