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Lettuce-linked cyclospora outbreak expands. See Map
USA Today • • business
Key Points:
- A widespread cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico has expanded to two more states, now affecting 17 states in total, according to the CDC and FDA.
- Since May, there have been 13,895 laboratory-confirmed cases across 47 states with thousands more suspected, including 13,909 cases in Michigan alone, which reported the first two deaths related to the outbreak.
- The largest portion of recalled lettuce was distributed to Walmart's Marketside brand (46%) and Taylor Farms itself (29%), while Taco Bell received less than 2.5% of the recalled product despite early media focus.
- Multiple cyclosporiasis clusters are under investigation, but only the outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce has been definitively traced; other sources remain unidentified by the FDA.
- Cyclosporiasis causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms and is typically contracted through contaminated food or water, posing greater risks to individuals with weakened immune systems.
