CDC declares gut bug outbreak in Kansas
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The CDC on Friday added Kansas to a list of states with cyclosporiasis outbreaks, a diarrhea-inducing illness that officials say is linked to infected lettuce.
The latest: The CDC this week reported 4,173 confirmed cases in the U.S. between May 1 and July 20. That's already more than the total number of U.S. cases reported for all of 2025.
- Investigators traced the outbreak to the supplier Taylor Farms de Mexico, which distributed lettuce to 27 states through July 17, including in Missouri.
- Taylor Farms has recalled the lettuce, and Taco Bell says they are no longer using it.
Context: Although some cases of the diarrhea-inducing illness are reported each year, the outbreak will make 2026 the worst year on U.S. record for this food-borne parasitic infection.
Zoom in: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 289 cases and 14 hospitalizations as of July 22.
Zoom out: Michigan has by far the highest number of lab-confirmed domestic cases: between 900 and 2,100 as of July 20.
Between the lines: Case numbers are likely higher than the map suggests.
- The CDC also notes that it's aware of at least 7,400 cases — many from Michigan and Ohio — that have not yet been lab-confirmed.
- And some people who get sick never get tested for cyclosporiasis.
What we're watching: Whether case numbers keep rising in the coming weeks, even as mitigation around potential contaminants continues, because there's a lag between illness onset and reported cases.