Massive outbreak of ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite expands to 3 more states with more than 11K sickened

The massive cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce and thousands of illnesses has expanded to three new states, federal health regulators announced Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the outbreak, which has been linked to hundreds of hospitalizations and two deaths since illnesses were first reported in July, has now been detected in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

There have now been 11,458 illnesses reported across 20 states, according to the FDA.

The FDA added the three new states to the outbreak list Thursday, one week after its previous update.

Health authorities have traced the multistate outbreak to contaminated iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico to Taco Bell restaurants.

The cyclosporiasis outbreak — one of the largest foodborne illness events in recent US history — has also rippled through the food industry, changing how some Americans shop for fresh produce.

Dave Ciesinski, president and CEO of The Marzetti Company, which owns and operates a range of popular retail food brands, including refrigerated salad dressings, recently told FOX Business that the outbreak isn’t just hurting lettuce sales but also affecting how Americans shop and eat.

Sales of leafy greens tumbled as much as 30% at the beginning of the outbreak, he said, while vegetable sales fell roughly 16% to 17%, with fruit also declining.

“Suffice it to say, they’re changing their behavior,” Ciesinski said of consumers on “The Claman Countdown.”

Michigan has been the hardest-hit state in the outbreak and has reported two related deaths. Both people had significant underlying health conditions, according to health officials.

Cyclospora is a single-celled parasite that can cause stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, weight loss and other health problems, though some infected people remain asymptomatic, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).