The CDC says 1,947 cyclosporiasis cases in nine states are linked to Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce fed to Taco Bell customers; the FDA still considers the facility the source.
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The CDC said Friday its probe into the nation's largest cyclosporiasis outbreak this year has expanded to nine states, with 1,947 cases linked to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms. The tally, which the CDC acknowledged lags behind state-level numbers, includes only patients who reported eating at Taco Bell before falling ill. Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania joined Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Michigan in the outbreak, which began producing symptoms in mid-May and has continued through late July, the agency said.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness marked by severe diarrhea. No deaths have been recorded in this outbreak, though some patients have required hospitalization. The CDC typically logs 200 to 1,000 cases of cyclosporiasis annually in the U.S. This year's count, even at the 1,947-mark, dwarfs those figures.
The FDA has zeroed in on Taylor Farms de Mexico as the likely source. Last week, the agency said the produce giant supplied the shredded iceberg lettuce to Taco Bell restaurants where people ate before getting sick. Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall on all iceberg lettuce from its Guanajuato, Mexico facility, and Taco Bell pulled the affected lettuce from its restaurants.
Mexican health authorities said Thursday that samples of lettuce and water from the Taylor Farms plant in central Mexico tested negative for cyclospora. The FDA said that result does not disprove its earlier identification of the facility as the likely source.
Taylor Farms has drawn criticism for its handling of the outbreak. Some health experts blasted its recall notice, which included abbreviations and did not let consumers easily tell if they had bought or eaten any affected product. After the FDA reported what it called a false positive of lettuce samples from the company on Sunday, Taylor Farms issued a statement saying the agency had apologized. The FDA later clarified it had not apologized, and the company deleted that statement on X, although it remains on its website. The FDA said it still considers Taylor Farms' iceberg lettuce the likely source.
The company supplies lettuce and other produce to Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, and restaurant chains including Taco Bell. The FDA is separately investigating a cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to an unidentified food product or products.
The earliest cases appeared in mid-May. The long incubation period for the parasite means the crop responsible was distributed weeks before symptoms emerged, the CDC said. Illnesses tied to the iceberg lettuce outbreak began June 22 and have continued through July 20, according to the agency.
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