Women Suspect Chipotle Made Them Sick

Kennesaw, GA -- Two local women suspect they got sick from a meal they ate at a Kennesaw Chipotle last week.

One of the women spoke with WSB-TV and suspects she contracted E. coli along with her friend after eating at the Mexican restaurant. An infectious disease specialist told the station she doesn’t believe the quick onset of symptoms lends itself to an E. coli diagnosis, but the women’s test results won’t be ready for a few more days.

The chain has been tentatively linked to an outbreak of E. coli in Oregon and Washington which began in October. Chipotle voluntarily closed 43 of its restaurants in the northwest U.S. for a week in early November, the company said.

52 people in nine states have contracted E. coli after eating at Chipotle, the CDC said on Friday. 20 people have been hospitalized as a result of the illness. Investigators are still not sure what food item caused the outbreak.

Chipotle said Friday it expects sales to drop eight to 11 percent in the fourth quarter if current trends continue, the first sales drop since the stock went public in 2006, CNBC reports.