CDC tracks parasite that causes diarrhea to lettuce at Taco Bell locations in WV

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising people not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce at Taco Bell locations in West Virginia and four other states after it’s been linked to a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite that causes diarrhea.

So far, 1,644 people in five states have gotten sick due to the outbreak, including 94 that have been hospitalized due to the illness, according to the CDC. 

A Federal Food and Drug Administration investigation has linked the outbreak to one supplier of lettuce from Mexico that is used by the Taco Bell locations, the CDC said. The FDA is working with the supplier to determine if the lettuce went to other states. 

The CDC is also investigating other outbreaks of cyclosporiasis nationally.

According to the state Bureau for Public Health, so far 139 people in West Virginia have gotten sick from the parasite, including 15 who have been hospitalized. 

The Bureau for Public Health says symptoms of cyclospora typically develop two to 14 days after exposure and can include: prolonged watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, fatigue, weight loss, abdominal cramping, bloating and increased gas, nausea and vomiting and low-grade fever. 

In a statement issued Thursday, Taco Bell said it has voluntarily removed the “potentially affected lettuce” from a supplier in select states. 

“The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states,” the fast food chain said. “While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests. 

“Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same,” it said.