US cyclosporiasis outbreak expands to 9 states: Centers for Disease Control

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified four additional states affected by a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce imported from central Mexico, the agency said Friday.

The states of Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania join Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, bringing the total number of affected states to nine.

The CDC described the outbreak in a Friday statement as the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak in the country.

Federal investigators have traced shredded iceberg lettuce served at locations of fast food chain Taco Bell across the nine states to a single supplier in Mexico.

Taylor Farms de Mexico said it had completed a voluntary recall from the US market of iceberg lettuce grown and processed in central Mexico, The Washington Post reported.

According to the CDC, 1,947 people across the nine states who reported eating at Taco Bell have been infected with the parasite. Illnesses associated with the outbreak began June 22, with symptom onset continuing through July 20.

At least 98 people have been hospitalized, with no deaths reported.

The CDC earlier this week more than doubled its nationwide count of confirmed cyclosporiasis cases by adding more than 4,000 verified illnesses. The agency said it was also reviewing more than 7,400 additional reported cases.