Panic as girl, 15, rushed to hospital after eating McDonald's Quarter Pounder burger

A teenager was rushed to hospital and diagnosed her with an infection after eating her favourite meal at

When Kamberlyn Bowler, 15, started to suffer from a fever and stomach pain, her mother Brittany dismissed her illness as flu. Kamberlyn regularly eats Quarter Pounder with cheese and extra pickles at McDonald's but her symptoms started earlier this month after a visit to one of the branches.

And she soon began to vomit and have diarrhea so Brittany took her to hospital. Tests eventually showed her kidneys had stopped working — and doctors diagnosed her with an E Coli infection. This had started attacking her kidneys, leaving them unable to filter waste from the blood properly.

The teenager, from Grand Junction, Colorado, is still in the hospital nearly three weeks later and has been through several rounds of dialysis, where machines filter the blood. Her mother said her daughter's kidneys now show signs of recovery, and they hope that the next dialysis session is her last — but it is still unclear when she will be discharged from the hospital.

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At least 75 people have suffered sickness across 13 states after eating at McDonald's and catching E Coli. Of these, 22 have been hospitalised, one has died and at least two have suffered from hemolytic–uremic syndrome disorder (HUS), the condition Kamberlyn has.

Investigators say that chopped yellow onions in the burger are the likely source of the E. coli, and the supplier — Taylor Foods — has recalled them from sale.

After the outbreak was revealed last week, a fifth of McDonald's restaurants withdrew the Quarter Pounder from sale. They are now back on the menu, however, after an investigation showed the beef patties were not contaminated — but in 700 restaurants they are being served without the onions.

Other fast food giants in the US, including Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut have all stopped using onions, which they say is a 'proactive' measure while the investigation is underway.

Kamberlyn was described as wiping away tears during her first interview with NBC News from her hospital bed, saying her illness was "not fun". Her mother said: "It's definitely been a roller coaster from the time that we've gotten here until now. Every day has been new tests or new things that pop up, or it's basically watching her body just not work... We're not really sure what it's going to look like for her moving forward."

A spokesperson for McDonald's told reports like Kamberlyn's were "devastating to us". They added: "We know that people and families have been significantly impacted, and the well-being of our customers is deeply important to us." The has contacted McDonald's for further comment.