A Chicago man hospitalized with cyclosporiasis has revealed the Taco Bell menu item that he believes gave him “explosive diarrhea.”
The outbreak of Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that causes the condition, has led to nearly 1,700 confirmed diagnoses, with an additional 5,100 reports. Cases have been identified in 34 states, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed.
Alonso Zaragoza, a 46-year-old from Belmont Cragin, told NBC Chicago that he developed symptoms over the weekend spanning July 11 and 12. As his symptoms worsened, he said that he was visiting the washroom every hour and a half.
“I don’t think I slept more than an hour and a half continuously in the last week,” he said. However, by Wednesday, he had noticed blood in his stool.
Zaragoza decided to head to the emergency room, where he was given an IV drip and both stool and blood samples were taken from him.
In a Facebook post, Zaragoza confirmed that he had suffered “4 days no sleep, chills, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, 5 pounds lost, and a midnight trip to the Emergency Room.”
Zaragoza also confirmed that he has since left the emergency room.
When medics at Northwestern Hospital confirmed that he had been infected with Cyclospora, Zaragoza began to consider what may have given him the so-called “explosive diarrhea” parasite.
The CDC confirmed that the outbreak has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
“I looked through everything, there was nothing that I ate that contained lettuce except for chalupa from the luxe box at Taco Bell,” Zaragoza told NBC Chicago. “I looked at the app, I Googled the ingredients—it said iceberg lettuce.”
The Food and Drug Administration launched a traceback investigation that led them to a single iceberg lettuce supplier in Mexico used by Taco Bell locations where sick people ate. The CDC has warned diners not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
On July 17, Taylor Farms confirmed that it was removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico from the U.S. market due to a potential Cyclospora contamination. Two days later, the company released another statement stating that a positive test result in its products was a false positive.
A spokesperson for Taco Bell confirmed in a press release that it has removed contaminated Taylor Farms lettuce from its restaurants.
“Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants, and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide,” the release reads. “We took this action to ensure our guests can enjoy their Taco Bell favorites safely.”
Symptoms of cyclosporiasis include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite and weight loss, the CDC says. Although some people may not experience symptoms, they usually manifest around one week after the infection takes place.
The agency also warns that symptoms can last from just a few days to over a month without treatment. The CDC also urged anyone with symptoms of cyclosporiasis to contact their healthcare provider and to stay hydrated.
