Cook your burgers well this weekend: Beef tied to massive E. coli outbreak

Enlarge / Organic hamburgers are grilled at a outdoor Farmer's Market August 15, 2013, in Washington, DC. PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images (credit: Getty | Paul Richards)

It may be safe to eat salad again, but tasty meatballs and juicy burgers are in for some side eye.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday announced that ground beef appears to be the culprit in the latest, ongoing multi-state outbreak of E. coli infections.

The outbreak began early last month and has sickened at least 109 people across six states since then, making it the third largest multistate E. coli outbreak in the last two decades. Thirteen of those 109 cases have been tallied since Tuesday, April 9. Additional illnesses that started as far back as March 19 may not yet be reported, the agency cautioned, suggesting the outbreak could continue to bulk up. So far, 17 people have been hospitalized.

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