E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle expands to N.Y.

A small group meets in an otherwise closed Chipotle restaurant in Seattle on Nov. 2, 2015. An E. coli outbreak linked to Chipotle in Washington state and Oregon has sickened several people in the third outbreak of the foodborne illness at the popular c...

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An outbreak of E. coli linked to Chipotle restaurants has expanded to six states, including New York.

New cases have been reported in the Western New York city of Amherst, and to California and Ohio, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The first cases were discovered several weeks ago in Oregon and Washington, and more recently in Minnesota.

The investigation to determine the specific food item linked to the illness is ongoing, the agency said.

So far, 45 people have been infected, with 43 of them saying they had eaten at Chipotle in the week before they got sick, the CDC said, adding that 16 people have been hospitalized. There have been no deaths.

The illnesses started on dates ranging from from Oct. 19 to Nov. 8.

Late in October, Chipotle Mexican Grill closed 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington after health officials discovered most of the people sickened in an E. coli outbreak had eaten at the chain’s restaurants. The restaurants since have reopened, and the company said Friday that all its restaurants remain open.

“At the moment, we do not believe that it is necessary to close any restaurants,” Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in an email. He said the company has implemented safety measures in restaurants, including deep cleaning, replacing ingredients and providing supply chain data to investigators.

Arnold said the company is not aware of any employees who have become ill.

Chipotle said affected individuals reported eating at two restaurants in Turlock, Calif; one in Akron, Ohio; one in Amherst, New York; and one in Burnsville, Minn.

Among those sickened, two have been in California, two in Minnesota, one in New York, one in Ohio, 13 in Oregon and 26 in Washington.