Cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce expands to 15 states

There are now 15 states with cyclosporiasis cases linked to now-recalled iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Since thelast update, six states have been added to themultistate outbreak-- Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina -- theFDA said Wednesday.

A total of 6,358 illnesses have now been reported across 15 states amid the outbreak, according to the FDA notice. The agency noted that it expects that number to increase despite the recall "due to the fact that it can take as long as six weeks for CDC and state officials to determine if a sick person is part of this outbreak."

"The true number of sick people in this multistate outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses," the FDA notice reads.

Two deaths have beenreported in Michiganin the cyclosporiasis outbreak, both individuals with significant underlying health conditions, health officials in the state said this week.

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Taylor Farms issued avoluntary recallof all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico. Consumers are being advised to throw out or return any iceberg lettuce.

Taco Bell said last month that it isno longer using lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexicoat any of its restaurants.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said it is investigating other outbreaks and illnesses of cyclosporiasis nationally that are unrelated to the 15-state outbreak.

There are at least 10,468 laboratory-confirmedcyclosporiasis casesin 47 states as of Tuesday, according toCDC data. This includes517hospitalizations.

The agency said it is also aware of at least 12,255 additional cases that have not yet been laboratory-confirmed. Many of these additional cases have been reported by Michigan, it said.