16 Customers Sick After Eating At This Sandwich Chain

A new case of suspected food poisoning at a major fast-food chain is being investigated in Illinois. According to the latest reports, several customers have fallen ill after eating at a Jimmy John's location in Bloomington.

Food Safety News reports that there have been at least 16 cases of illness, 15 of which were student athletes from Illinois State University's lacrosse team. According to iwaspoisoned.com, a website used for reporting cases of food poisoning, several of them required hospital treatment for fluid replacement because of severe vomiting and diarrhea.

The incident is being investigated both by the McLean County Health Department who received initial reports of the illness on April 7, as well as by state officials.

"We continue to investigate the foodborne illness(es) and can confirm the number of people affected has gone beyond the initially reported cases on the ISU campus last week," Marianne Manko, public affairs coordinator for the county health department, told Food Safety News. "We have not completed the investigation. We are working daily with the Illinois Department of Public Health to ensure proper public health measures are enacted if we suspect a foodborne illness could remain a threat, even when we have not positively identified an illness or its source."

In the meantime, the implicated Jimmy John's restaurant on West Market Street has been temporarily closed down as a precaution. However, the chain has issued a statement saying there is still no definitive connection between the food poisoning cases and their food.

For more on the latest fast-food news, check out America's Largest Fast-Food Chain Is on a Downward Spiral, Reports Say, and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox.