BIG NUMBER
Nearly 7,000. That’s how many people have likely been sickened by cyclospora, per CDC estimates, with cases spread across at least 34 states. A majority of infections are in Michigan which alone is reporting 4,312 cases and 102 hospitalizations.
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WHAT IS CYCLOSPORIASIS?
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite. It infects people who eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces, and can cause weeks of “explosive” bowel movements, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cyclosporiasis is typically not fatal or life-threatening.
Key background
The CDC has been receiving reports of cyclosporiasis cases linked to the ongoing outbreak since May. Investigators have for weeks been working to determine what was making people sick, and on Thursday said it had identified lettuce sold to Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia as one potential source. The lettuce sold at Taco Bell, which reportedly came from Taylor Farms, is said to have sickened more than 1,600 people. Because cyclosporiasis does not spread person to person, how the other roughly 5,500 people got the illness remains unclear but investigators are working to discover where else Taylor Farms may have sent the contaminated lettuce. The brand sells products like ready-to-eat chopped salad kits and pre-made stir-frys in tens of thousands of supermarkets—including Walmart, Target, Wegmans, Costco, Kroger and Trader Joe’s—and supplies other restaurant chains including McDonald’s and Chipotle. It was also linked to a 2024 E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders.
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TANGENT
Yum Brands’ SEC filing specifically identified growing reliance on third-party suppliers, distributors and food delivery platforms as factors that push contamination risk beyond its direct control. Sweetgreen’s filing added that food safety risks compound when orders move through pickup, delivery and catering channels outside the company’s supervision.
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further reading
ForbesTaco Bell Lettuce Linked To Multistate Cyclosporiasis Outbreak—But Not Every Sick Person Ate ThereBy Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesTaco Bell Supplier’s Lettuce Identified As Possible Cyclosoriasis Outbreak SourceBy Antonio Pequeño IVForbesUnresolved Cyclospora Parasite Outbreak Raises Questions About CDC CutsBy Victoria Forster