Cyclosporiasis: officials looking at Taco Bell lettuce supplier as potential source of outbreak

Federal health officials are reportedly examining iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms to Taco Bell as a potential source of the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak. Unnamed sources familiar with the investigation told media outlets that the lettuce supplier had been linked to the illness. In response, Taco Bell has voluntarily removed lettuce from the implicated supplier from its select state locations and is replacing it nationwide within 24 hours. A Taco Bell spokesperson stated the company took "precautionary action" and encouraged other food service operators to do the same, noting that no official advisory had been issued. The parasitic illness, characterized by watery, explosive diarrhea, has impacted thousands in the US. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 1,645 confirmed cases and 145 hospitalizations earlier this week, with an additional 5,100 cases pending further analysis. The CDC anticipates the outbreak will persist through August, warning that actual infection numbers are likely higher than reported. "The true number of infections is almost certainly higher, because many people with mild illness recover," said Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the CDC’s division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases, noting the unusually high number of cases this summer. Cases in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky have been linked, and Michigan authorities identified lettuce as a "potential source." Federal and state officials are investigating a possible connection between lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Michigan and the outbreak. The Trump administration has faced criticism regarding cuts to federal food safety programs and a narrowed CDC foodborne illness monitoring program, though White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted that these actions have not hindered the federal response.

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The true number of infections is almost certainly higher, because many people with mild illness recover. We’re seeing an unusually high number of cyclosporiasis cases this summer.