Cyclospora outbreak states rise to nine, CDC says

The list of cyclospora outbreak states has grown to nine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, as federal health officials track the largest multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak in the U.S. this year. The CDC has counted 1,947 people infected with cyclospora who also reported eating at Taco Bell in affected states, while broader national illness totals have reached the thousands.

Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania have now been linked to the outbreak, joining Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan, according to the CDC. Michigan has been among the hardest-hit states.

Federal health and food regulators have focused on shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms. The Food and Drug Administration said last week that Taylor Farms provided the lettuce to Taco Bell restaurants where people ate before becoming sick.

Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall covering iceberg lettuce sourced from its facility in Guanajuato, Mexico. Taco Bell removed the affected lettuce from its restaurants, according to the FDA.

What is cyclospora and how does it spread?

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that most often infects people through contaminated food or water, according to the CDC. It causes cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness that can include severe diarrhea and, in some cases, require hospitalization.

No deaths linked to cyclospora have been recorded this year, according to health officials cited by CNBC. The outbreak is far above the roughly 200 to 1,000 cyclosporiasis cases typically reported annually in the U.S.

The CDC said illnesses in the iceberg lettuce outbreak began on June 22 and continued through July 20. Federal case counts can trail state reporting, and some affected states have posted higher infection totals than the CDC’s running tally.

Mexican health authorities said Thursday that lettuce and water samples from Taylor Farms’ central Mexico plant tested negative for cyclospora. That finding does not rule out the FDA’s earlier assessment that Taylor Farms de Mexico is the likely source, because the earliest reported symptoms in the broader investigation began in mid-May and cyclospora infections have a long incubation period. The implicated crop may have moved through supply chains weeks earlier.

The FDA is also examining a separate cyclosporiasis outbreak connected to an unidentified food product or products. U.S. authorities are working to determine the sources of contamination and limit further spread.

Taylor Farms has faced criticism from some health experts over how it communicated the recall. Critics said the notice used abbreviations that made it difficult for consumers to determine whether they had purchased or eaten a product at risk.

A dispute also emerged after the FDA reported a false positive from lettuce samples linked to Taylor Farms. The company said in a statement that the agency had apologized, but the FDA later said it had not apologized and continued to view the company’s iceberg lettuce as the likely source. Taylor Farms removed the statement from X, although it remained on its website, according to CNBC.

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

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.