Taco Bell Lettuce Likely Not The Only Source Of Cyclosporiasis Outbreak

Iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states has been linked to a growing outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness, but thousands of people who didn’t eat at the chain are still sick and waiting to discover what they could have eaten to infect them experience the so-called “explosive diarrhea parasite.”

Traceback investigators with the CDC have identified a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico as a possible origin source for the outbreak—which the Washington Post cited unnamed sources as identifying as Taylor Farms.

The agency reports that more than 1,600 of the estimated 7,000 people sickened in the outbreak reported eating at theTaco Bell restaurants and the Food and Drug Administration is working to find out where else the contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce was sent.

The lettuce was served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, but there are an estimated 7,000 suspected cases of cyclosporiasis across 34 states, including more than 4,300 cases in southeastern Michigan.

The parasite is unlikely to have spread person-to-person, according to the CDC, which means thousands of other people were sickened from eating foods—possibly lettuce—from sources other than Taco Bell.

Taylor Farms has production facilities across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Western Europe and describes itself as “leading global producer of salads and healthy fresh foods.”

The brand sells products like ready-to-eat Chopped Salad Kits and pre-made stir-frys in tens of thousands of supermarkets across North America—including Walmart, Target, Wegmans, Costco, Kroger and Trader Joe's—and supplies other restaurant chains including McDonald's and Chipotle.

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis. It infects people who eat food or drink water infected with the parasite, and it can cause weeks of “explosive” bowel movements, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cyclosporiasis is typically not fatal or life-threatening, but some people with the infection are hospitalized for help managing symptoms. It can also be treated with combination antibiotics. Cyclospora spreads when people eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces, and it takes at least one to two weeks to become infectious after passing in a bowel movement, making direct person-to-person transmission unlikely, per the CDC.

Thousands of people have been sickened across the country with cyclosporiasis in the last several weeks, and state and federal health agencies are working to investigate the source of the outbreaks. More than 2,600 cases have been reported in Michigan, more than 500 in Ohio and nearly 400 cases in New York, mostly in New York City. Federal officials have warned cyclosporiasis cases are likely to be underreported because many people won’t seek professional medical help to recover. Officials can’t pinpoint the exact source or sources of this outbreak but it is linked to contaminated fresh produce, with the Michigan officials pointing specifically to lettuce and bagged salad greens.

33. That’s how many states had reported cyclosporiasis cases between May 1 and July 9, according to the CDC. The only states that had not been hit were Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Delaware, Vermont and Maine.

Health departments say to run all fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs under clean, running water and scrub firm produce with a brush. Washing the produce won't kill the parasite, but may remove it. Heating or cooking produce to at least 158°F is the most effective way to kill the cyclosporiasis-causing parasite. Frozen vegetables are largely safe from cyclospora because more commercial facilities wash and blanch (briefly dip in boiling water) them before they're packaged, but some items (like raspberries) can’t be blanched ahead of freezing. Canned produce is considered the lowest-risk option during a cyclosporiasis outbreak because commercial canning relies on high heat to seal food.