CDC says outbreak is in nine states

The nation’s largest multi-state outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked to shredded iceberg lettuce has spread to nine states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

The four newly connected states (Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania) join Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and hard-hit Michigan. Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal disease that is typically transmitted to humans through contaminated food or water and can lead to symptoms such as severe diarrhea. Patients may need to be hospitalized, but no parasite-related deaths have been recorded this year.

The outbreak is already the largest reported case of cyclosporiasis in the United States this year, with thousands of illnesses recorded across the country. This is well above the approximately 200 to 1,000 cases typically reported annually.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration is investigating a separate outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked to an unidentified food product or products. The U.S. is trying to investigate the sources of the parasite and contain its spread amid confusion over its response to the outbreak and personnel cuts that some experts say have made it harder to prevent it.

US health and food regulators focused on shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms.

Lettuce and water samples from Taylor Farms’ plant in central Mexico tested negative for cyclospora, Mexican health officials said Thursday. However, this result does not refute the Food and Drug Administration’s previous identification of Taylor Farms in Mexico as the possible source of the outbreak.

The first cases began showing symptoms in mid-May. Moreover, the long incubation period for the infection means that the responsible crop was dispersed weeks ago.

Last week, the FDA said the produce giant was supplying shredded iceberg lettuce to Taco Bell restaurants where people ate before getting sick. Taylor Farms also voluntarily recalled all iceberg lettuce from its Guanajuato, Mexico facility, and Taco Bell pulled the affected romaine from its restaurants.

CDC’s 1,947 people have been counted so far Reportedly eating at Taco Bell in nine states infected with cyclospora. The outbreak of iceberg lettuce-related illnesses began on June 22 and continued through July 20, the CDC said. The federal count lagged behind state counts, so some of the states hit by the outbreak reported much higher numbers of infections.

However, Taylor Farms has faced criticism for its response to the pandemic. Some health experts criticized the recall notice, which contained abbreviations and did not allow consumers to easily understand whether they had purchased any products at risk.

After the FDA reported a false positive on romaine samples from Taylor Farms on Sunday, the company released a statement saying the health agency apologized. The FDA later announced that it had not apologized to Taylor Farms, and the company deleted the statement about X, although it was still available on its website. The agency also stated that the company’s iceberg lettuce was considered a possible source of the outbreak.

Taylor Farms supplies lettuce and other produce to major retailers such as Walmart, Target and Whole Foods, as well as restaurant chains such as Taco Bell.