July 2026: Cyclospora outbreak in 17 states, no recalls yet

John Brunner

John Brunner

Greeter
Staff member
I've been reading of people getting violently ill in various regions of the country from a food borne intestinal parasite. The numbers range from 150 people to 2,000. The article said "17 states," but did not list them. Michigan seems to be reporting the most cases (1,000), where they typically see 50 cases per year. There are no recalls yet. (edit to add: There are also ongoing outbreaks of cyclosporiasis in New York, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Texas, Florida and Connecticut.)

Prior Cyclospora outbreaks in the United States have followed a consistent seasonal pattern, peaking from May through August and declining in September. Past outbreaks have been linked to bagged salad kits with international supply chain ingredients, leafy greens, and fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley & basil, almost always from Mexico. There are reports of this being linked specifically to bagged Caesar salad kits containing romaine lettuce (no brand cited.) Some Taco Bell locations have reportedly stopped serving lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and cilantro onion.

Until specific sources are identified, there are certain steps you can take. I grabbed a list from this article (link)

What You Can Do Now​

  • Wash all fresh produce — including bagged salad greens — under cold running water before eating. Note that washing does not eliminate Cyclospora spores completely, but it reduces the contamination load.
  • If you develop prolonged watery diarrhea lasting more than five days in summer, contact a clinician and specifically mention Cyclospora as a diagnostic possibility. Ask for modified acid-fast staining or PCR testing.
  • If diagnosed with Cyclospora, ask your doctor about treatment with TMP-SMX. Untreated illness can last weeks to months.
  • Monitor the FDA's outbreak investigations page for any specific food recalls or alerts that emerge from this investigation.
  • If you are immunocompromised, discuss fresh produce consumption with your health care provider during active summer Cyclospora seasons.
The CDC says that most people recover without treatment. Symptoms can last up to a month.
 
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Shirley Martin said:
I saw that on WRAL, @John Brunner . We sometimes have the ready salad mix. In fact, we are going to have one for supper tonight. I don't think I can wash it so we will just have to take our chance. Wish us luck. :)
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I read that washing removes most--but not all--of the parasite. I have a salad spinner and always wash my greens, whether I buy head lettuce or--rarely--bagged lettuce. I was on another forum and it got me going down the rabbit hole of ozone washing machines.

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Don Alaska said:
When I was in South America, we soaked all green produce in iodinated water as chlorine does not kill all the parasites. I don't think you can buy tincture of iodine here any more though.
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Lugols iodine or Providone? I used to get gallon jugs of iodine for udder wash at Fleet Farm. Not sure about now.
 
You can get tincture iodine here, but it's out of stock right now.

I'd like to find mercurochrome for staining splinters. glass, etc that might be in my fingers/toes. I wonder if it's even made anymore.
 
For those who are being cautious, it seems that Taylor Farms brand bagged lettuce keeps coming up in conversations. They supply Taco Bell, as well as grocery stores. No formal recall or government statement has been issued.
 
I wash lettuce and other greens from the grocery store, but I don't use anything but water. I read that simply rinsing stuff under fresh water a few times will remove most stuff and dilute any remaining so that it won't be as hazardous.

I occasionally buy a bagged salad but I always rinse the greens several times and use my salad spinner to dry the water off.

I posted in the Aerogarden thread that I decided to start some lettuces in an AG earlier today. I can grow my own until the 'outbreak' is over.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I wash lettuce and other greens from the grocery store, but I don't use anything but water. I read that simply rinsing stuff under fresh water a few times will remove most stuff and dilute any remaining so that it won't be as hazardous.

I occasionally buy a bagged salad but I always rinse the greens several times and use my salad spinner to dry the water off.

I posted in the Aerogarden thread that I decided to start some lettuces in an AG earlier today. I can grow my own until the 'outbreak' is over.
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Yeh, you can wash most of the parasite off, but not all of it. And I'm the same way...everything gets washed with water and then run through the salad spinner (even if it says "Pre-Washed.") It sounds like the fast food restaurants just open the bag and serve it.

I was reading an article and it said the annual outbreaks started in 2010, but cited no specific causal event.
 
I used to grow a lot of different varieties of sprouts. The salad spinner is great for getting rid of the hulls. I fill the spinner with water (leaving the basket in), dump in the sprouts, and then work them by hand and let the hulls fall through the basket into the bowl of the spinner. Pull the basket out and dump the hulls and any unsprouted seeds into a mesh colander so they don't get in the drain and take root. Lather/rinse/repeat.

I saw a video of a woman using hers to wash fruits and veggies. Fill it with water, add the cleaning agent, put the food items in the basket, put on the lid, then slowly agitate like a washing machine. Pull out the basket with the foods and rinse under the faucet.
 
I was just reading on the HEB discussion group on Reddit. Apparently no HEB products have been involved in the explosive diarrhea incident as of yet. One person remarked "lettuce pray that we don’t get sick from this salad." :p Anyhow, it was mentioned that the greens I buy, called Kindly Cultivated, are hydroponically grown in Tyler Texas so I feel fairly confident that they are safe food. I do rinse them and give them a spin, however.

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