No deaths have been reported.
No specific food has been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, according to the CDC, but 22 of the 26 patients reported eating sandwiches at Wendy’s restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania before they got sick.
As a precaution, Wendy’s is removing the romaine lettuce used in sandwiches from restaurants in that area, where most patients have reported eating sandwiches with lettuce, according to the agency.
The CDC said it does not advise people to avoid eating at Wendy’s or for people to stop eating lettuce.
The agency is investigating to confirm whether romaine lettuce was the source of the outbreak, and whether lettuce used in Wendy’s stores was served or sold at other businesses.
19 cases have been reported in Ohio, 15 in Michigan and two in Pennsylvania. Another case was reported in Indiana. The CDC said three of the cases in Michigan involve people with a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.