The Food and Drug Administration is investigating iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell by Taylor Farms as a possible source in an escalating outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a stomach bug that causes weeks of severe diarrhea, in four Midwestern states.
Nationwide Impact
Nearly 7,000 people nationwide may have been sickened, with 1,645 of those cases confirmed and more than 5,100 still under investigation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No deaths have been reported.
Michigan has been hit hardest this summer, with 4,312 cases as of Thursday. The state’s health department said that 102 people in Michigan have had to be hospitalized.
Health officials previously flagged lettuce and salad greens as a potential source based on more than 1,000 interviews with people who’ve tested positive.
Past Outbreaks
This isn’t the first time Taylor Farms has been connected to a cyclosporiasis outbreak. In 2013, 631 people in 25 states were sickened by a salad mix linked to the company, health officials concluded.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.