The number of reported cyclospora infections in Missouri has increased fivefold in the past week, according to state health officials.
As of Sunday, the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services reports 216 cases, up from 43 a week ago. The diarrhea-causing parasite infection has sickened thousands of people across the country. Illinois' public health department confirmed 240 cases of the illness on Wednesday.
Cyclospora infections can cause diarrhea, nausea and dehydration. Most people infected can recover without antibiotics.
Federal officials linked the outbreak to lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. The Associated Press, citing a federal official, reported that produce company Taylor Farms supplied the lettuce. St. Louis Public Radio has not independently confirmed that report.
On Saturday, Taylor Farms issued a recall of iceberg lettuce shipped to 27 states, including Missouri and Illinois.
Taylor Farms was also named in a separate lawsuit filed last year by six Missourians who accused the California-based company of shipping contaminated lettuce that caused a cluster of E. coli cases and sickened 115 people in the St. Louis region in November 2024. The producer has denied the allegations.
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