A Parasite That Causes Explosive Diarrhea Is Spreading in the United States, and Investigators Are Looking at Taco Bell’s Lettuce

More than 4,000 people have been sickened, most in southeastern Michigan, and some who fell ill told investigators they’d eaten at Taco Bell. The chain has already pulled lettuce and a few other fresh ingredients from select restaurants while officials trace the source.

The CDC has now tied cyclosporiasis cases across four Midwestern states (Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky) to a likely common source, its clearest signal yet that the illnesses are connected. Cases have turned up in at least 34 states, and more than 140 people have been hospitalized.

Michigan has been hit hardest, with more than 3,300 cases and hundreds reported daily. Based on interviews with more than 1,000 patients, the state says leafy lettuce is its leading suspected source, though other foods can’t be ruled out.

Two people familiar with the investigation said federal and state officials are looking at whether Taco Bell restaurants played a role. Some people who got sick had eaten there; others hadn’t, which suggests the outbreak reaches beyond the chain.

Taco Bell says public health officials haven’t confirmed any link to the company or a specific ingredient, and that it removed limited items at select restaurants as a precaution while the review continues.

Cyclospora infects the intestines and causes watery diarrhea with frequent, sometimes explosive bowel movements. It spreads through contaminated food or drink, not person to person, and officials expect confirmed cases to keep climbing through the end of August.

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