July 27, 2026 | Source: Today.com | by Caroline Kee
The nation’s largest outbreak of cyclospora, the parasite known for causing “explosive diarrhea,” has now expanded to nine states, according to federal health officials.
Cases of the intestinal infection, known as cyclosporiasis, have been rising nationwide since June. Last week, officials announced that a massive outbreak in five states had been linked to shredded lettuce sold at Taco Bell and supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico.
(The fast-food chain has since removed the affected lettuce from its menu, and Taylor Fresh Foods issued a voluntary recall of all of its iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.)
In the meantime, the multistate outbreak has been connected to clusters of cases in four additional states.
In a July 24 announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was investigating a cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to shredded lettuce in nine states: Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan. (The last five were previously linked.)
