‘Explosive diarrhoea’ outbreak spreads across US states
Source: The View
Health officials are scrambling to find the source of a parasitic illness that causes “explosive diarrhoea” and has infected thousands of Americans across more than 30 states, with some reports suggesting Taco Bell restaurants may have a role in the outbreak.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by a heat-loving parasite and is spread when people consume contaminated food or water – usually fresh produce that hasn’t been properly washed or cooked.
It rarely causes death, but the symptoms listed by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention sound far from pleasant, including “watery diarrhoea – sometimes frequent”, cramping, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, and low-grade fever.
“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” Reba Pousma, a suspected cyclosporiasis sufferer in Denver, told CBC News.
“I’m on day five now of going to the bathroom over 40 times a day, and nothing has been solid.”
Dozens of people have reportedly been hospitalised, and the CDC said this week there had been at least 1645 lab-confirmed cases of domestically acquired cyclospora since May 1, with more than 5100 additional reports still being analysed. Reports by some individual states give larger numbers.
“We want to be clear: The true number of infections is almost certainly higher than what’s reflected in these numbers, because many people with mild illness recover without seeking medical care and are never tested,” CDC’s Gwen Biggerstaff said.
The CDC said its investigations had not yet identified a specific food source, or sources, of the current multistate outbreak. However, US media reports claim health officials are looking at whether Taco Bell fast-food restaurants may have played a role.
The Washington Post quoted an anonymous source “familiar with the investigation” as saying some, but not all, of those who had become ill had eaten at Taco Bell.
Adding weight to the report was the fact that notices at some of the chain’s restaurants in Detroit, Michigan, advised customers the outlets were unable to use certain ingredients – including lettuce, cilantro onion, pico de gallo, and guacamole – “due to a nationwide recall”.
Taco Bell says it has taken some items off its menu as a precaution. Photo: Reddit
Taco Bell said it made the move voluntarily as a precautionary measure.
“The health and safety of our guests is our top priority,” it told People. “Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer.”
The possible Taco Bell link emerged after Michigan’s health department said its ongoing investigation had pointed to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source for the outbreak, although other food items could not be ruled out.
Michigan typically records only 40-50 cases of cyclosporiasis a year, but had reported more than 2600 by the start of this week.
“Although we do not have a definite product identified as the source of the outbreak, we want to let Michiganders know what we have learned so far so they can take steps to protect their families,” chief medical executive Natasha Bagdasarian said.
“Early information has shown lettuce as a common product that regularly comes up during the investigation. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.”
Officials at the CDC media call this week did not confirm if Taco Bell or any other specific restaurant chain or food supplier was being looked at, saying only that it was tracing “multiple produce items” and locations patients reported visiting before they became sick.
It said four mid-western states – Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky – probably had a common source.
One major challenge they face in tracing the microscopic cyclospora parasite is that people usually fall sick two days to two weeks after being exposed to the parasite, meaning many weeks may have passed by the time a case is reported.
But some health experts and Trump administration critics argue the situation has been made worse by budget cuts imposed by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy jr as part of the so-called “government efficiency” drive.
“Have the funding cuts to public health impacted the current activities related to the cyclospora outbreak? I think they have,” Barbara Kowalcyk, an associate professor at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health, told The Guardian.
“If you’re under-staffed, you might be interviewing [patients] after six to eight weeks.”
One of the CDC programs scaled back in 2025 was FoodNet (Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network). It previously tracked infections caused by eight food-borne pathogens, including cyclospora, but reduced the number that states were required to report on to just two: Salmonella and STEC.
Healthcare advocacy group Protect Our Care is among those who have lashed out at US President Donald Trump and Kennedy’s “catastrophic cuts” amid the growing cyclospora outbreak.
“The Trump administration has put Americans in another shitty situation after laying waste to our public health infrastructure and gutting emergency preparedness,” the organisation’s president, Brad Woodhouse, said.
“Because RFK Jr’s CDC turned a blind eye to dangerous food-borne pathogens, this outbreak spread quickly and states are now scrambling to do their own detective work on what’s causing it.”
The CDC has sought to downplay the impact of the narrowing of the FoodNet reporting requirements, with Biggerstaff saying this week that it has “very robust systems for surveillance and investigation”. She insisted the data for this cyclosporiasis outbreak was “the same as we’ve had for all of the other seasons”.
Biggerstaff promised the CDC wanted to be transparent with the public during the evolving cyclosporiasis investigation.
“We anticipate continuing to see cases increase, possibly through the end of August, which is the end of the cyclosporiasis season,” she said.
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