A microscopic parasite has quietly moved through the food supply, turning an ordinary fast-food meal into a weeks-long ordeal for thousands of Americans across five states. Federal investigators have traced Cyclospora cayetanensis — a pathogen that requires time in the environment before it can harm a human host — to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants, supplied by Taylor Fresh Foods from farms in central Mexico. The outbreak reminds us that the distance between a field and a dinner table is rarely as safe or as simple as we assume, and that the most vulnerable among us of
CDC Probes Cyclospora Outbreak Linked to Taco Bell Lettuce Across 5 States
Nearly 7,000 people infected across five states with over 100 hospitalizations in Michigan; vulnerable populations face severe dehydration and complications.