Cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce expands to 9 states

Healthcare Cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce expands to 9 states Comments: by Nathaniel Weixel - 07/24/26 2:45 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Nathaniel Weixel - 07/24/26 2:45 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Federal health officials have linked cyclospora outbreaks in four additional states to the same iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico that has sickened thousands of people in the Midwest.

The new states are Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. They join Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia as part of the country’s largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak, according to an update posted Friday.

The latest news does mean that cases are spreading or accelerating, but indicates investigators are closing in on a common link between outbreaks.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the infections are likely tied to iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and grown in central Mexico. Though there was no positive test of produce to confirm the link, epidemiological evidence including interviews with people who got sick gave strong signals.

“FDA’s traceback investigation and outbreak data continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms from growers in central Mexico,” the agency said. “We encourage the public to continue to avoid all products listed in Taylor Farms’ voluntary recall.”

According to the health agency, a total of 1,947 people infected with cyclospora and reporting exposure to Taco Bell have been reported by nine states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from June 22 to July 20. There have been at least 98 hospitalizations, and no deaths.

Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall for all iceberg lettuce sourced from its central Mexican facility and Taco Bell pulled the affected lettuce from its restaurants.

The FDA said it expects to continue to see the number of confirmed cases rise, despite the recall, because it can take as long as six weeks to determine if a sick person is part of the outbreak.

The federal count lags behind state numbers and only includes confirmed cases, so some of the states hit by the outbreak have reported much higher numbers of infections.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed or is investigating more than 11,500 cases of cyclosporiasis. But not every case is connected.

On Thursday, the FDA said it was looking a new outbreak with 72 cases but did not identify the location or the potential source.

Cyclosporiasis is a foodborne infection caused by a parasite that’s typically spread through food or water contaminated with human feces. Not everyone who is exposed will display symptoms, but the main one is frequent and watery diarrhea.