McDonald's shares nosedive as E. coli outbreak tied to company

​​​​​​​By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - McDonald's shares nosedived Wednesday as an E. coli outbreak is tied to the firm's quarter pounders.

The multinational fast food chain's stock price was trading at $298.31 at 1.37 p.m. EDT (1737GMT) for a daily loss of 5.24% after closing Tuesday at $314.81.

A total of 49 people from 10 US states have gotten sick from the same strain of E. coli, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday.

One older person in the state of Colorado has died, and a child was hospitalized with complications of hemolytic uremic syndrome, according to the CDC.

"Everyone interviewed has reported eating at McDonald's before their illness started, and most specifically mentioned eating a Quarter Pounder hamburger," it said.

"The specific ingredient linked to illness has not yet been identified, but investigators are focused on two ingredients in particular: fresh slivered onions, and fresh beef patties," it added.

The company temporarily removed the suspect ingredients.