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Lettuce, Taylor Farms, CDC
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms to Taco Bell as a possible source of an escalating multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak, with nearly 7,000 people nationwide potentially sickened and 1,645 cases confirmed as of CDC data published Tuesday.
“Las autoridades sanitarias de Estados Unidos investigan a la cadena de comida rápida Taco Bell como posible origen del masivo brote de diarrea explosiva que afecta al país”
NBC News said the outbreak is centered in four states—Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky—where the CDC announced an investigation into more than 400 cases earlier this week.
CNN reported that the CDC has identified at least 400 cases associated with the outbreak across Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, and that Michigan has reported more than 4,300 cases during the investigation.
In Michigan, health officials said they interviewed more than 1,000 people and previously noted that lettuce or salad greens may be a potential source, while the Michigan state health department said it “strongly suggests that the vast majority of these illnesses are associated with the same outbreak.”
Taco Bell removes ingredients
As federal and state investigations continued, Taco Bell took action by removing potentially impacted lettuce and other ingredients, with CNN quoting the company saying it had “voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients” in select states.
CNN also reported that Taco Bell said the affected ingredient from its supplier is being indefinitely removed from its supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.
In Michigan, the state health department said it “cannot say with certainty that every illness is linked to the same source of exposure,” even as it described a concentrated, sharp increase in cases.
NBC News added that a spokesperson for Taco Bell said public health officials “have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer,” and that Taylor Farms did not respond to CNN’s request for comment Thursday.
Hospitalizations, no deaths
CDC data cited by CNN showed at least 141 hospitalizations, and NBC News said no deaths have been reported in the outbreak linked to the lettuce.
CNN reported that confirmed cases alone are more than six times higher than they were at this time last year, and that the outbreak linked to the lettuce is considered a regional one centered in the Midwest.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said the number of people with confirmed cases jumped to 4,312 as of Thursday morning, and WXYZ Channel 7 reported that MDHHS also said 102 people have been hospitalized.
In parallel, NBC News said the incubation period for the parasite can be up to two weeks, making it difficult to reach the source, while the CDC counts often lag behind state counts as investigators work to determine whether multiple outbreaks from different sources are involved.
