Overview
- Public health investigators traced a major multistate cluster of cyclosporiasis to shredded and iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico, and the company issued a voluntary recall in mid‑July that removed implicated lots from commerce.
- Combined confirmed and suspected reports now top roughly 24,000 nationally, with the CDC listing about 13,895 laboratory‑confirmed cases and Michigan reporting about 13,909 cases, hundreds of hospitalizations and two deaths.
- Laboratory confirmation is constrained because Cyclospora testing is not always included on routine stool panels, the parasite cannot be easily cultured for genomic fingerprinting, and many jurisdictions face testing backlogs that create multiweek reporting lags.
- State and federal health systems say the surge has strained outbreak response capacity, with officials pointing to reduced surge staffing, limited traceback resources, and multiple simultaneous foodborne investigations this summer.
- Officials urge continued consumption of fresh produce with caution, saying implicated lettuce has been pulled from the market while advising clinicians to test for Cyclospora when symptoms persist and recommending handwashing, thorough produce washing, and antibiotic treatment for those who need it.