WASHINGTON (AP) - Looks like it's safe to bite into that burrito.
The federal agency that monitors public health says the outbreak of E. coli illness linked to Chipotle restaurants that sickened 60 people appears to be over.
The Centers for Disease Control said Monday the most recent illness reported to the agency started on Dec. 1.
Although the CDC closed its investigation, the source of the illness that spread to 14 states is still unknown. Chipotle executives say they may never be able to identify what made people sick.
Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. undertook an aggressive revamping of food preparation methods at its more than 1,900 locations. But the outbreak drove the company's stock down by 26 percent over the past three months and it warned in December of a potentially sizable hit to profits.
Its stock rallied following the CDC announcement, closing Monday up $19.67, or 4.3 percent, at $472.64.
People usually get sick from Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, the bacteria commonly associated with foodborne outbreaks, for two to eight days after swallowing the germ, according to the agency. Most infected people get diarrhea and abdominal cramps.