Look closely at that green stuff in your lunch. Really look at it.
Something is wrong with it. Or rather, something microscopic is riding inside it. Cases of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection that can make you miserable for weeks, are surging across the US. Health officials still don’t know the source. Thousands are sick. Dozens of states involved. And the answer to “what did I eat?” remains a shrug.
The numbers don’t lie, but they do lag
Since May 1, the CDC has confirmed 1,645 domestically acquired cases across 34 states. Another 5,100+ cases are under review. At least 141 hospitalizations. No deaths reported.
Is this the full picture? Probably not. Many people skip the doctor. The testing is specific. The incubation period is long. Federal data is slow to update.
Last year at this same point, there were only 249 cases nationwide. Now the count is climbing steeply. Michigan is the epicenter. 3,762 reported cases by July 15. For a state that usually sees 40 cases a year, this is astronomical.
More than 400 of those cases might link Ohio, Kentucky, and West Michigan into one massive, tangled web. Other clusters exist. The implication? We might be eating bad produce from multiple sources right now.
What even is it?
Cyclosporiasis comes from a parasite named Cyclospora cayetanensis. It’s tiny. It’s tough. You catch it from food or water contaminated by fecal matter—usually raw produce.
It doesn’t spread from person to person like the flu. The parasite has to “sporulate” in the environment for a bit before it’s infectious. So, shaking hands with a sick person won’t hurt you. Eating the lettuce they touched? That’s different.
The symptoms? Watery diarrhea. Often prolonged. Lasting weeks, sometimes over a month. Also, cramps. Bloating. Fatigue. Vomiting. Weight loss.
It usually starts about a week after you eat the tainted food. Maybe two days. Maybe two weeks. By then, the contaminated sandwich is gone, recycled, or forgotten. How are investigators supposed to know you ate a romaine heart 10 days ago?
The lettuce conundrum
Investigators have no single answer yet. No farm. No supplier. No brand name slapped on the villain’s forehead.
In Michigan, though, the story is repetitive. Interview after interview, sick people point to lettuce and salad greens.
But lettuces travel. One head of romaine can end up in a hospital cafeteria, a grocery bag, and a fast-food wrapper in three different states within hours. Tracing it back is a nightmare of logistics and memory.
Remember 2018? McDonald’s pulled salads. The source was eventually traced, but it took time. Right now, the FDA is tracing supply chains but has issued no nationwide recall. Just vague investigations into “unknown products.”
Enter Taco Bell
Taco Bell jumped into the fire before it was asked.
Customers in Metro Detroit saw signs: No lettuce. No guacamole. No pico. The signs mentioned a “nationwide recall.” Except the FDA hadn’t announced any. Confusion ensued. Memes multiplied.
Was it a mistake? A precaution? A lie?
The Washington Post broke the link on July 14. Federal and state officials were checking if Taco Bell was a player. Some sick people ate there. Many did not. If it was the chain, it’s only part of the puzzle. But it explained why the ingredients vanished at specific stores.
Shares in parent company Yum Brands dipped 4.5%. Not a crash. But a stumble. The company claims the move was voluntary, temporary, and precautionary. Smart PR? Or panic? You decide.
Does washing help?
You can stop eating vegetables. That’s an option. It’s boring. It’s hard.
Health officials suggest care, not abandonment. Wash everything. Running water. Not soap. Soap is not food-safe and might leave worse residues than the parasite.
Leafy greens are tricky. Scrubbing a cucumber helps. Scrubbing a delicate herb leaf? Riskier. The parasite clings.
Michigan health officials say buy the whole head of lettuce. Cut it yourself. Peel off the outer two or three leaves—the dirty ones—and wash the rest. Cooking kills Cyclospora at 158°F. So cooked broccoli beats raw kale.
Peeling fruit helps too. But what if the parasite got inside during cutting? There is no guarantee. Never is a strong word in food safety, and washing provides little comfort against a parasite that survives the trip from field to fork.
What to do when it hurts
Persistent watery diarrhea isn’t a “wait it out” symptom if it’s lasting longer than a few days. Contact a provider. Mention cyclosporiasis. Explicitly.
Standard stool tests miss it. You have to ask for it. The CDC says ask if symptoms linger, especially in summer.
The treatment? A 7–10 day course of trimethoprim-suffamethoxazole (Bactrim or Septra). An antibiotic combo. Plus fluids. Dehydration is the real enemy here, more than the cramps.
Tracking the chaos
Numbers are messy. State health departments report faster than the CDC. Federal sites lag behind.
If you’re paranoid about your spinach (justifiably), check:
- CDC Cyclosporiasis Surveillance — for national counts.
- CDC Outbreak Page — specifically the cluster in Michigan, Ohio, and nearby states.
- FDA Outbreak-Under-Investigation Table — the only place to see if a specific brand has been flagged for a recall or traceback.
Wash your food. Maybe cook it. Keep an eye on those local health reports.
It’s a messy season for greens.
