Story highlights Five new cases of E. coli linked to Chipotle that may not be linked to larger multistate outbreak

The five new cases are the same strain as the other 53 cases but have a different DNA fingerprint

The five individuals ate at one of two locations, either in Kansas or Oklahoma

(CNN) The CDC is investigating five new cases of a rare strain of E. coli linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

Three of the ill individuals ate at a location in Oklahoma and two ate at a Kansas location. Their symptoms began between November 18 and November 26 and all the individuals had consumed food from Chipotle within a week of becoming ill.

These five cases have a different DNA fingerprint than the rare strain of E. coli identified in the outbreak linked to the same restaurant chain that has caused 53 cases or illness in nine states since October. The CDC reported the latest of these cases on Monday, an individual from Pennsylvania who became ill in early November. The strain is shiga toxin-producing E. coli O26, or STEC O26.

The CDC would not say how likely or unlikely it is that all the cases with both DNA fingerprints are linked but said it is performing tests to make that determination and hopes to know in a few weeks. There have been multistate outbreaks of foodborne illness involving multiple DNA fingerprints in the past, according to Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the CDC's Outbreak Response & Prevention Branch. He added, "These recent cases occurred several weeks after the last cases in the larger outbreak and in a different geographic location. This may suggest they do not share a common source, but the investigation is ongoing."

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