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, nearly 7,000 people 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.
Investigation Details
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.
Getting to the source of the outbreak has been difficult, as the incubation period for the parasite to make a person sick can be up to two weeks.
Taylor Farms and Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.
