Michigan reported 5,002 cyclosporiasis cases, a 16% increase from 4,312 one day earlier, as investigators identified contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce in one part of a multistate outbreak. The state’s illnesses had been recorded since June 22 and spanned 65 of Michigan’s 82 counties.
Wayne County had the largest listed local total, with 582 cases, followed by Washtenaw with 474, Oakland with 396 and Ingham with 393. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said 102 people had been hospitalized as of July 16.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis and commonly produces frequent, watery diarrhoea. Health authorities were combining patient interviews, laboratory work and supply-chain tracing to identify exposures rather than treating every state case as necessarily connected to one restaurant or ingredient.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its data showed shredded iceberg lettuce served at some Taco Bell restaurants was contaminated with Cyclospora and making people ill. Michigan shared food-exposure information from 190 people who reported eating at Taco Bell. Ingredient-level analysis found that 90% of those interviewed said they had eaten iceberg lettuce.
A Food and Drug Administration traceback identified one supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico used by the Taco Bell locations visited by patients before they became sick. The CDC stressed that not every Taco Bell restaurant in the affected states received lettuce from that supplier. Taco Bell agreed to stop using lettuce from the business identified in the federal inquiry.
Taylor Farms, a California-based lettuce supplier, said it was removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico after receiving information from the FDA. Federal investigators were working to determine whether potentially affected shredded lettuce remained for sale or had gone to other businesses.
The evidence also described emerging litigation, not findings of legal responsibility. Shiawassee County residents Preston and Marie Parrish filed a federal lawsuit in Detroit alleging they ate contaminated lettuce at a Taco Bell in Durand on June 30 and seeking more than $75,000. An Ohio man also sued a Taco Bell franchisee after becoming ill.
The 5,002 statewide count covered more people than the interviewed Taco Bell group and extended well beyond the specific evidence used in the ingredient analysis. The federal link explained an identified cluster, while the wider investigation still had to establish how much of Michigan’s total came from the same supply chain. The figures marked a fast-moving reporting stage rather than a final outbreak tally.
The removal of central Mexican iceberg lettuce was a precaution affecting supply, while the CDC finding concerned illness among customers at selected locations. Those are related but distinct actions. Officials did not establish that all removed lettuce tested positive or that every Michigan patient had eaten at Taco Bell before becoming ill.
