Donald Trump has threatened new tariffs on Mexico amid a major cyclosporiasis outbreak, a parasitic illness known for causing severe, sometimes “explosive,” diarrhea that health officials are investigating for a possible connection to lettuce from Mexico. Speaking at a White House press briefing, the President said: “I think what we are going to do is put a major tariff on Mexico because of the lettuce.” His remarks came as suspected and confirmed cases climbed toward 11,000 across 41 states, with investigators still working to pinpoint the source. Trump also repeated his threat of major tariffs on Canada after wildfire smoke blanketed large parts of the northern US. Health officials have said one possible source is shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms that was supplied to Taco Bell locations in nine states. Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania have now been identified as potentially affected, in addition to Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
Testing on lettuce from Taylor Farms’ manufacturing facility in Mexico produced a false positive, but the company’s voluntary recall remains in effect. The business also temporarily shut down its Central Mexico site yesterday. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said Tuesday that the outbreak was “under control.” On Wednesday, the FDA said it was also monitoring a separate cyclosporiasis outbreak involving 72 illnesses, distinct from the much larger cluster that has sickened thousands and is being investigated for a possible lettuce link. The agency disclosed the number of cases but did not provide further information about where patients are located or what may have made them ill. The identification of another outbreak suggests officials have found a group of cases tied to a common source, though it does not necessarily mean the illnesses are unrelated to the broader investigation; they may be tracked separately because investigators suspect a different contaminated item.
Public health officials are urging people to wash their hands and thoroughly rinse “any fresh produce” before preparing meals. Because washing may not reliably remove the parasite, they also recommend cooking food to at least 158F (70C), a temperature high enough to kill it. Cyclosporiasis is spread when a person consumes food or water contaminated with human feces. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says direct person-to-person transmission is “unlikely” because the parasite typically needs one to two weeks in the environment after being passed in stool before it becomes infectious. Dr Luis Ostrosky, an infectious diseases expert at UTHealth Houston, said: “Cyclosporiasis spreads via the fecal-oral route, where fecal particles containing the parasite are passed to the mouth. It typically does not transmit from person to person and does not spread in the way that we see with norovirus or the flu. It takes one to two weeks after the parasite is passed in a bowel movement for it to become infectious, and many days to a few weeks after that exposure for symptoms to appear.”
The CDC has logged nearly 11,000 suspected or confirmed cyclosporiasis cases so far this year, the highest total since 2019, when an outbreak was linked to basil. Of those, 4,100 infections have been confirmed, while another 7,400 are under investigation across 41 states. Officials have reported 308 hospitalizations and no deaths. Michigan has the highest count, with up to 2,100 cases, followed by Illinois, Kentucky and Texas, each with up to 160 cases. In the main outbreak, the inclusion of four additional states suggests investigators are increasingly connecting cases across state lines as they narrow in on a possible source. The illness is caused by the microscopic cyclospora parasite and can trigger gastrointestinal symptoms including watery diarrhea, severe diarrhea, cramping and fever.
Symptoms usually begin within about a week of infection, a delay that can make it harder for patients and investigators to identify the contaminated food or water. People with cyclosporiasis may also experience a temporary improvement before symptoms suddenly worsen again. A Taylor Farms spokesman said Thursday: “We’ve commissioned independent experts to conduct a top-to-bottom review of food safety processes and protocols in our central Mexico facility. We continue to work with health authorities, customers, and independent farming partners to address this issue.” Taco Bell has removed the lettuce from its supply chain as a precaution. A spokesman said last week: “Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same.”
