An Ohio man sickened by cyclosporiasis is suing a Taco Bell franchisee after the fast food chain was linked Thursday to an ongoing parasitic outbreak that has infected thousands, predominantly in Michigan.
The outbreak has been traced to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell by Taylor Farms, a worldwide fresh food provider, according to a Washington Post report that cited anonymous sources familiar with the investigation. It wasn’t immediately clear where the affected lettuce was grown or at what point it became contaminated.
Taco Bell said Thursday it had removed lettuce from a supplier in certain states after the reports linking lettuce to the outbreak.
“Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states,” the company said in a statement. On Wednesday, it said it had removed ingredients from some stores, calling it a precautionary move.
Michigan has seen 4,312 cases of cyclosporiasis, and more than 100 hospitalizations, since June 22, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday morning. The agency previously said contaminated lettuce or salad greens appeared to be linked to the outbreak, based on interviews with more than 1,000 patients.
The Post had previously confirmed investigators were looking into Taco Bell as a potential source.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there was a likely link among cases in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, though they had not yet pinpointed the cause.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that Ohio ranks second in cyclosporiasis infections with more than 1,200 reported cases and 88 hospitalizations for the illness, which causes symptoms including explosive, watery and prolonged diarrhea.
Among the victims was Mohammed R. Ayyad, who said he became sick after eating at a Taco Bell in North Olmstead, Ohio. Marler Clark, a law firm specializing in food safety, filed a complaint on Ayyad’s behalf on Thursday.
“This is the first case, and it will not be the last,” attorney Bill Marler said in a statement. “We filed today to do two things: find out exactly where this parasite came from — which farm, which field, which supplier — and force the changes that keep it from landing on someone’s plate again next summer, and the summer after that.”
Ayyad ate at a Taco Bell location on June 14 and again on June 21, his attorneys said. On June 23, he began experiencing symptoms including severe headache, chills, vomiting and “persistent diarrhea that left him unable to function.”
After seeking medical care, he tested positive for cyclosporiasis on July 9. Attorneys said he missed about two weeks of work and is still recovering.
The complaint, filed in a U.S. District Court in Ohio, names Pacific Bells LLC — the Washington company that owns and operates the North Olmsted Taco Bell location — as a defendant. Unidentified growers, suppliers and distributors of the fresh produce implicated in the outbreak are named in the suit as John Doe Corporations 1–5.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis.
It spreads when people consume food or water contaminated with the parasite. Food or water can become contaminated when it comes into contact with feces containing the parasite. Outbreaks are most often linked to contaminated fresh produce.
It cannot be spread from person to person, health experts advise.
In a typical year, Michigan only sees a 40-50 cases, according to the MDHHS.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ohio man sues Taco Bell after chain linked to cyclosporiasis outbreak
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Max Reinhart, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
