Clarification added below.

The nationwide recall of ground beef possibly contaminated with deadly E. coli has expanded to include meat sold at Target stores in Oregon.

Cargill Inc. on Wednesday recalled more than 132,600 pounds of contaminated ground beef that food-safety investigators think has caused 17 illnesses and one death.

USDA investigators are concerned contaminated products may be inside consumers' freezers.

The beef originated at a Cargill slaughterhouse in Fort Morgan, Colorado, which was also linked to a recall of 25,000 pounds of ground beef last month.

In mid-August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food-safety division and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began investigating a potential E. coli outbreak, with cases predominantly in Florida.

The USDA and CDC eventually traced the E. coli contamination to beef shipped from Cargill's Fort Morgan plant as "the probable source of the reported illnesses." That determination led to Cargill's latest recall.

The beef products in question were produced and packaged on June 21 and bear the plant identification number "EST. 86R," which can be founded inside the USDA inspection mark on the outside of the package.

The products were shipped nationally.

Most types of E. coli are harmless, living within the intestines of both humans and animals. But several strains are pathogenic and pose serious human health risks. The USDA identified the August recall of beef produced at Cargill's Fort Morgan plant as E. coli 0157. Wednesday, the federal agency identified this second recall as E. coli 026.

Both strains can cause similar illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

People usually become sick within a week of consuming contaminated foods. Most people develop diarrhea, often bloody, and vomiting. Some infections are more severe with people developing a type of kidney failure.

According to the USDA, these stores may have sold the recalled beef products:

Aldi (stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin)

Sam's Club (nationwide)

Target (nationwide)

Meijer (nationwide)

Safeway/Albertson's (stores in California, Colorado, Hawaii)

Vons (stores in California)

Pak N Save (stores in California)

Clarification: The initial report from the USDA on Wednesday said that the contaminated beef may have been sold at Safeway/Albertson's stores nationwide. The agency later clarified that the beef may have been sold at Safeway/Albertson's stores in California, Colorado and Hawaii, but not in Oregon or Washington.

-- Tribune Media Services contributed to this story.