CHICAGO, IL — Federal health officials have widened a cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce after new illnesses were reported in four more states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says the outbreak reaches nine states, with Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania added to Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
The outbreak has drawn attention because the illnesses have been tied to shredded iceberg lettuce served at some Taco Bell restaurants and supplied by Taylor Farms. The lettuce was sourced from central Mexico, and the company has already issued a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce from that region.
Michigan continues to account for the largest number of reported cases, according to state health officials. The CDC says the investigation is still ongoing and that the true number of sick people is likely higher than the confirmed count.
Michigan records the highest case count so far
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Friday that the state has 8,176 cases linked to the outbreak, with about 160 hospitalizations. That makes Michigan the state with by far the largest share of illnesses in the multi-state cluster.
At the national level, the CDC said it has confirmed illnesses in 1,947 people connected to the specific nine-state outbreak under investigation. The agency cautioned that the outbreak may extend beyond the states where illnesses have already been identified.
Officials said many people who get cyclospora recover without medical care and are never tested. That can make foodborne parasite outbreaks harder to measure in real time, especially when symptoms resolve before a diagnosis is made.
Taco Bell stops using the lettuce linked to the outbreak
Taco Bell said Friday that it is no longer using lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico in any of its restaurants. The company’s move comes as investigators continue working to pinpoint the exact chain of distribution tied to the illnesses.
The outbreak has been associated with shredded iceberg lettuce served at some Taco Bell locations. The lettuce was supplied by Taylor Farms and sourced from central Mexico, according to the CDC’s update.
Taylor Farms de Mexico had already announced a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico. The recall covered products distributed from June 29 through July 16 and included best-if-used-by dates through Aug. 3.
FDA sample test was later called a false positive
Over the weekend, the Food and Drug Administration said a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms had tested positive. That sample was not part of the recall.
The agency later said a re-review showed the test result was a false positive. Taylor Farms then said it had been informed that the FDA had made a mistake.
Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said Monday that the false positive did not change the agency’s findings linking cases to shredded lettuce from Taylor Farms. The clarification leaves the main public-health investigation unchanged even as testing results were corrected.
The CDC says the outbreak may not be limited to known states
Health officials have stressed that the confirmed case count likely understates the full size of the outbreak. The CDC said the illness pattern may not be limited to the states where cases have already been identified.
That warning reflects the nature of cyclospora infections, which can be missed when people recover on their own and never seek testing. The CDC said those factors make it likely that the actual number of sick people is higher than the reported total.
The agency’s website says the outbreak investigation remains active and that the nine-state cluster is only one part of broader cyclospora monitoring now underway.
CDC tracks broader cyclospora illness totals across the country
Beyond the lettuce-linked outbreak, the CDC said it is investigating other cyclospora illnesses and outbreaks nationally. Those cases are separate from the nine-state cluster tied to shredded iceberg lettuce.
Since May 1, cyclospora cases have topped 11,500 in 41 states, according to CDC data updated Wednesday. That total includes at least 4,173 laboratory-confirmed cases and 308 hospitalizations.
The agency also said it is aware of at least 7,400 additional cases that have not yet been laboratory confirmed. Together, the numbers show that cyclospora remains a broader public-health concern while investigators continue to trace the lettuce-linked outbreak.