A parasitic outbreak affecting the United States has now spread across nine states, according to federal health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that four additional states—Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania—have joined five previously affected states in dealing with cyclosporiasis cases. The outbreak is linked to contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce and represents the largest annual occurrence of this foodborne illness in recent years.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite transmitted through contaminated food or water that causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly acute diarrhea. Some patients have required hospitalization, though no deaths have been reported. The current outbreak has produced thousands of confirmed cases nationwide, far exceeding the typical annual count of 200 to 1,000 cases. Health investigators have traced the contamination to lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, a California-based produce company operating a facility in Mexico.
The CDC has documented nearly 2,000 infections among individuals who reported eating at Taco Bell locations in the affected states. Illness onset began in mid-June and continued through late July. Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce sourced from its Guanajuato facility, and the restaurant chain removed the affected product from its locations. The FDA maintains that Taylor Farms’ lettuce remains the likely outbreak source, despite recent negative test results from Mexican health authorities on samples from the facility.
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