Houston-area doctor weighs in on E. coli after deadly outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The first lawsuit has been filed in the E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder. One person has died.

Dozens of cases have been reported across the nation, but there are no known cases in Texas at the moment.

Houston-area specialist Dr. Brooke Goldner explained what E. coli is.

"E-coli is a bacteria that is found in poop - it's found in fecal matter," she said. "So it's in every serving of beef people eat, and the CDC actually allows a certain level of E. coli because when they are slaughtering and processing animals, there's always some fecal matter that gets sneaked in, and so we get E. coli. That's why you have to cook meat."

The CDC issued an alert that people in 10 states have become sick after eating McDonald's Quarter Pounder. They began feeling the usual symptoms that come along with food poisoning, like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

RELATED: Onions from California-based produce company linked to deadly E. coli outbreak: McDonald's

Onions from California-based Taylor Farms were linked to the deadly E. coli outbreak affecting McDonald's Quarter Pounders, the company said.

An onion supplier, Taylor Farms, has issued a recall on its raw onions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration indicated that the ingredient could be a "likely source of contamination."

Goldner told ABC13 that this can happen because sometimes plants can get fecal runoff from nearby farms where there are animals. While there are no cases in Texas right now, it doesn't necessarily mean we're in the clear.

Goldner recommends we continue to check the CDC for any published recalls and cases.

"Sometimes you will hear there's E. coli maybe in spinach. Right now, it might be the onions. I would be checking the CDC website to see if there's a recall of any other brand. And if there is, don't use that brand," she explained.

On Thursday afternoon, Eyewitness News also learned that a company called "Yum-Brands" pulled its onions from select fast food chains like Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut out of an abundance of caution as they continue to monitor this recent case of e-coli.

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SEE ALSO: Symptoms, prevention and other things to know about E. coli

E. coli is a large group of bacteria found in the intestine of many living organisms, but some strains can lead to illness.