U.S. links Taco Bell lettuce to multistate parasite outbreak

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Source New York (AFP) — U.S. officials on Friday pinned the source of a diarrhea-causing foodborne parasite as shredded iceberg lettuce used by the fast food chain Taco Bell. A federal investigation by the Food and Drug Administration traced the contamination back to a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexico, which was used by Taco Bell locations in five states, according to a statement from the Centers for Disease and Control. The CDC said that more than 1,644 people in five states — Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia — were confirmed to be infected with cyclosporiasis, which can cause “explosive diarrhea,” among other symptoms. There have been no deaths and 94 hospitalizations related to that outbreak, the health agency said. The CDC said that those illnesses were lab-confirmed and linked specifically to the outbreak at Taco Bell locations in those states....