Teen hospitalized with E. coli after eating McDonald's Quarter Pounder. Symptom details

A 15-year-old girl from Grand Junction, Colorado, talks about the first E. coli symptoms she experienced after eating McDonald's Quarter Pounders.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the popular sandwiches have been linked to an outbreak of the bacteria in 13 states that has sickened 90 people, including one death and 27 hospitalizations.

The most likely source of the outbreak was the onion slivers left on the burger, McDonald's said in a news release. The affected region's onion distributor, Taylor Farms, said that while no specific ingredient has been confirmed as the source, it has “preemptively recalled” yellow onions.

McDonald's has also stopped sourcing onions from Taylor Farms and removed Quarter Pounders from the menu at about 900 locations, but the fast-food giant plans to start selling them without onions again this week.

The girl, Kamberlyn Bowler, is currently hospitalized with kidney failure and gave NBC News her first interview about her illness.

Teen recalls symptoms that led to hospitalization

Kamberlyn, a previously healthy teenager, went to McDonald's several times in the days leading up to her illness. She ordered her favorite Quarter Pounder with cheese and extra pickles.

According to her mother, Brittany Randall, her first symptoms — fever and stomach pain — appeared the next month.

“(My mom and I) both thought I just had a fever, like the flu or something – a gastrointestinal illness,” Kamberlyn told NBC News. “But then I started vomiting, had diarrhea and it was bloody, so it scared me.”

Randall took her daughter to the emergency room, but tests showed nothing. Then the teenager started to get worse.

After symptoms persisted for nearly a week, Kamberlyn said she had to go back to the doctor. “It scared me. I was scared,” she recalled.

At the second doctor's visit, tests revealed that Kamberlyn was suffering from kidney failure due to a severe E. coli infection. She was flown to Colorado Children's Hospital in Aurora on Oct. 18 and is still there.

“It was just scary to see her body working against her,” Randall said. “It was difficult. I had to take time off work, she was on the softball team for her high school, she had to sit out the last few games because she was sick.”

The teenager was diagnosed with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a rare complication of E. coli infection caused by bacteria that attack the kidneys.

Kamberlyn has had several rounds of dialysis, and although her kidneys may be able to function again, the extent of the permanent damage is still unknown, according to Randall.

“We’re not really sure what’s going to happen next for them,” she said. “She will probably need another round of dialysis. We hope this is the last one, but we also don’t know.”

Kamberlyn had no underlying medical conditions prior to her E. coli infection. She played softball at her high school.

“She went from being super healthy to having no problems at all, to the point of potentially lifelong kidney damage,” Randall said.

In an email, a McDonald's spokesperson told NBC News that stories like Kamberlyn's are “devastating to us.”

“We know that people and families have been significantly impacted, and we care deeply about the well-being of our customers,” the email said.

Lawsuits over the McDonald's outbreak

Multiple lawsuits have already been filed against McDonald's over the E. coli Quarter Pounder outbreak. Ron Simon, an attorney representing Kamberlyn and 32 other victims, told NBC News that he plans to file Kamberlyn's lawsuit this week. He added that he has received hundreds of calls since the outbreak began.

“There will be many more cases than 75 in this outbreak,” Simon said.

One of the lawsuits was filed by Clarissa DeBock, 33, a receptionist from North Platte, Nebraska, who says she ate a Quarter Pounder on Sept. 18 and ended up in the emergency room a week later. DeBock is also a customer of Simon.

On October 27, McDonald's President Joe Erlinger apologized to customers in a video and promised to regain customers' trust.

“On behalf of the McDonald's system, I want you to hear from me: We are sorry,” he said. “For the affected customers, I promise that we will find a remedy, guided by our values.”

E. coli symptoms

According to the CDC, the following are signs of an E. coli infection and may be worth seeking medical attention:

• Diarrhea and fever over 38°C
• Diarrhea for more than three days that is not improving
• Bloody diarrhea
• Vomiting so much that you can't keep your fluids down
• Signs of dehydration, such as: E.g. not peeing enough, dry mouth and throat, feeling dizzy when standing up

According to the CDC, symptoms typically begin three to four days after consuming the bacteria and most people typically recover in five to seven days without treatment.

NBC News' Christine Römer, Elizabeth Chuck and Laura Allenbaugh contributed reporting.