State-by-state count in parasitic outbreak continues to increase

Michigan officials reported that another 600 cyclospora patients were identified overnight, bringing the total in the state to 7,171.

The Michigan patients are part of a multistate outbreak related to iceberg lettuce products produced by Taylor Farms. The next closest state count is from Ohio where there are 2,029 patients. A number of patients in Michigan reported eating iceberg lettuce on items from Taco Bell. The restaurant chain has stopped using lettuce from Taylor Farms.

The produce company recalled its shredded iceberg lettuce and salad kits containing iceberg lettuce from central Mexico on July 17. Its customers include Walmart, Costco, Target, Whole Foods, McDonald's and Taco Bell, as well other fast food chains and Sysco, which is the country’s largest food service supplier. Sysco supplies a number of restaurant chains in addition to hospitals, schools, hotels and other foodservice operators.

While some states are reporting thousands of outbreak patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s count remains stagnant. As of July 21 the agency was still reporting only 1,644 people who had contracted cyclosporiasis from May 13 to July 13. The CDC report says there are patients in 34 states and that there is more than one outbreak. The agency says there are another 5,100 patients whose illnesses are under investigation.

The discrepancies in the state counts and tot total being reported by the CDC come from the fact that the agency stopped counting cyclospora infections in 2025. At that time the agency stopped tracking six out of eight foodborne pathogens.

The Food and Drug Administration reported on July 18 that it had a positive result for the cyclospora parasite on a sample of Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from Mexico. However, the agency walked back that announcement on July 19 saying that the test result was a false positive.

Preliminary patient counts from the states are as follows: