Parsley and cilantro also now linked to cyclospora outbreak in North Carolina — but not Taco Bell

Health officials in North Carolina have now also linked tainted parsley and cilantro — but not Taco Bell — to the state’s surging cyclospora outbreak.

North Carolina officials said they already had cases connected to lettuce comonly reported in the state.

The popular herbs appear to be the first additional produce beyond iceberg lettuce that officials have acknowledged are causing the sickness both in North Carolina and the country.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said that while it’s not clear where the contamination of the local herbs came from or their exact source yet, the Tar Hell State’s outbreak of the diarrhea-inducing parasite does not appear to be tied with the those “in other states involving Taco Bell.”

Parsley and cilantro have now been linked to North Carolina’s cyclospora outbreak, too. Getty Images

“We have not noticed that association here,” Carl Williams, a public health official at NCDHHS, said at a press conference Tuesday, according to Consumer Reports.

“We can say that because we do a thorough investigation of all of these reported cases in collaboration with our local health departments.”

Cases of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the cyclospora parasite that can cause horrific diarrhea, have swelled to 11,500 in 41 states, with more than 4,000 cases confirmed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 300 people have been hospitalized with the illness in several states.

North Carolina reported 561 cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1 — 256 of which since just 10 days ago on July 14, according to the latest update on Tuesday from state health officials. Sixteen of the patients were hospitalized.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said there have been 561 cases since May 1. North Carolina Department of Administration

As cases ballooned nationwide, Taylor Farms last week ordered a recall of its potentially tainted iceberg lettuce, which was sent to 27 states and sold to Americans at grocery stores and Taco Bell restaurants.  

The FDA has urged people not to eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms.

In addition to its well-documented symptom of watery discharge, cyclosporiasis can also cause loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps or pain, bloating, gas, nausea and fatigue, according to food safety regulators.