A diarrhea-inducing parasite is exploding across the country — with four new states now listed in the outbreak of cyclosporiasis infections linked to iceberg lettuce.
Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania have been added to a list of nine total states where patients were reported as being both infected with cyclospora and exposed to Taco Bell, the Food and Drug Administration revealed Friday. They join Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
The agency, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is investigating the multistate outbreak “linked to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico,” according to the FDA.
Last week, the agency said a traceback investigation “identified convergence on a single supplier, Taylor Farms de Mexico, that provided shredded iceberg lettuce used by Taco Bell locations where sick people ate before becoming ill.”
However, the FDA then reported a false positive in a lettuce sample from the produce giant on Sunday. The agency clarified what that meant Friday.
“To clarify, this false-positive lab sample DOES NOT change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms,” the FDA wrote on its website.
“FDA’s traceback investigation and outbreak data continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms from growers in central Mexico. We encourage the public to continue to avoid all products listed in Taylor Farms’ voluntary recall.”
Taco Bell confirmed last week that it had removed affected Taylor Farms lettuce from its restaurants.
“Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide,” the fast-food giant said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Taylor Farms issued an extensive voluntary recall list.
“When questions were raised about the source of the recent Cyclospora outbreak, we immediately removed all potentially implicated product from the marketplace, and out of an abundance of caution we issued an even broader recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from the region,” Taylor Fresh Foods said in a statement Thursday.
“We have also voluntarily suspended all iceberg lettuce sourcing and production from central Mexico,” the company said.
The CDC has received reports of 4,173 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclospora — a parasitic infection that causes cramps, gas, diarrhea and other GI symptoms — in 41 states and over 7,400 cases still under review since May 1.
However, 1,947 people have specifically been infected with the illness and reported exposure to Taco Bell in the nine aforementioned states, according to the FDA. The CDC said 98 of those people have been hospitalized.
“We also expect to continue to see the number of confirmed cases rise, despite the recall, due to the fact that it can take as long as six weeks for CDC and state officials to determine if a sick person is part of this outbreak,” the FDA warned.
Taco Bell and Taylor Farms did not specifically comment on the four new linked states when approached by The Post.
Meanwhile, North Carolina has its own surging cyclospora outbreak — which has been linked to tainted parsley and cilantro.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said that while it’s not clear where the potential contamination of the local herbs came from or their exact source yet, the Tar Heel State’s outbreak does not appear to be tied to those “in other states involving Taco Bell.”
