Douglas County Flags 27 Cyclospora Cases as Taco Bell Emerges as Top Exposure

Q: After the FDA's 'false positive,' what is the real source of the massive Cyclospora outbreak?

The real source has not been definitively confirmed. After the FDA said its reported positive Cyclospora result on a Taylor Farms de Mexico lettuce sample was a false positive, there were no confirmed product-test positives tying the nationwide outbreak to a specific item. What remains strongest is the epidemiological and traceback evidence. Federal and local investigators still say many illnesses, especially the Taco Bell-linked cluster in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, point to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied through Taylor Farms de Mexico. In those cases, a large share of sick people reported eating at Taco Bell, and ingredient-level reviews repeatedly identified iceberg lettuce as the common exposure. But that does not settle the broader national outbreak. Health officials are investigating multiple Cyclospora outbreaks at once, and the much larger surge in cases across dozens of states may involve more than one contaminated product or supplier. That is why the FDA, CDC and state agencies have not declared a single confirmed nationwide source. So the best-supported answer is this: for the Taco Bell-associated outbreak, shredded iceberg lettuce from central Mexico remains the leading suspected source based on traceback and case interviews, despite the false positive lab test. For the full massive U.S. outbreak, the true source is still under investigation, with lettuce or salad greens still considered likely but not proven.

3 articles · Updated · KETV Omaha · Jul 20

Douglas County said 27 Cyclospora infections have been identified, including 12 unconfirmed cases logged in the past four days, calling the recent rise unusually rapid for summer.
Nearly two-thirds of interviewed patients reported eating at Taco Bell in the two weeks before illness, making the chain the most common exposure identified so far.
Nebraska health officials, the CDC and the FDA are now examining whether the county's cases are tied to a broader multistate outbreak rather than a local person-to-person spread.
Nationwide, the CDC has recorded nearly 7,000 Cyclospora cases confirmed or under investigation since May 1, with at least 180 hospitalizations, as investigators continue tracing contaminated food or water sources.