Overview
- The CDC confirmed late Thursday that shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia is linked to a regional cyclosporiasis cluster and advised people not to eat that lettuce.
- FDA traceback identified a single Mexico‑based supplier used by those Taco Bell locations and federal teams have begun collecting product samples and increasing border screening of the company’s lettuce shipments.
- State tallies show Michigan as the outbreak epicenter with about 5,002 cases reported by July 17 and rising hospitalizations, while national counts include thousands more suspected or probable infections under review.
- The CDC says roughly 1,644 people in the Taco Bell‑linked cluster reported eating at the chain before falling ill and about 94 hospitalizations have been reported in that cluster; major outlets have reported the supplier under investigation as Taylor Farms though federal agencies have not publicly named the company.
- Public‑health officials warn tracing has been slowed by Cyclospora’s long incubation and intermittent shedding and by strained lab capacity, and they urge clinicians to test for the parasite, treat confirmed cases with trimethoprim‑sulfamethoxazole, and advise consumers to prefer whole heads of lettuce, discard outer leaves, wash produce under running water or cook greens when possible.