An outbreak of an explosive diarrhea-causing parasite is linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at the popular Tex-Mex chain Taco Bell in five states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced.
The affected states are Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, the CDC said.
The CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state public health officials have been investigating the outbreak's source, which so far has sickened thousands of people. In Michigan, one of the worst hit states, officials say there are at least 4,300 cases of cyclosporiasis, an illness caused by a parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis. It spreads through food or water contaminated with feces.
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The CDC, which has confirmed 1,644 cases and is investigating some 5,100 more, has said its numbers are almost certainly an undercount of the true case numbers nationwide. There have been some 94 hospitalizations so far, but no deaths. Cyclosporiasis symptoms include sudden, watery and occasionally explosive diarrhea—these symptoms usually appear between two days and two weeks after ingesting the parasite. The illness can last anywhere from a few days to a month or longer, according to the CDC.
"Do not eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia," the CDC said in a statement on its website. "CDC is also investigating other outbreaks and illnesses of cyclosporiasis nationally that are unrelated to this outbreak."
Taco Bell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
To avoid contracting the illness, the best thing to do is to avoid eating lettuce, gastroenterologist Rabia de Latour told Scientific American. Importantly, washing leaves before you eat them is not enough to get rid of the parasite—that requires cooking food to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit. The CDC also recommends that people wash their hands and any other fresh produce thoroughly before eating, cutting or cooking it.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
