Virginia's Department of Health announced another 28 domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis Monday morning.
The department is updating case counts weekly due to public interest in the parasitic infection. As of 10 a.m. Monday, the state had a total of 126 cases: 66 acquired domestically, 31 acquired internationally and 29 of yet-unknown origin.
Cases have increased in every category, with the number of domestically acquired cases jumping the most.
On its website, VDH says, "The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is closely monitoring and investigating reported cyclosporiasis cases. There is no evidence that the cases reported in Virginia so far in 2026 are associated with the outbreaks/clusters in other states, including the midwestern multistate outbreak. This is preliminary and subject to change as more information may become available in the coming weeks."
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control added four more states to its ongoing multistate outbreak: Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. States already part of the outbreak were Michigan, Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio. The CDC's total case count associated with that outbreak is now 1,947, with 98 hospitalizations.
However, the CDC's case count is lagging behind state case counts. As of July 24, Michigan alone was reporting more than 8,000 cases and 160 hospitalizations, by far the largest outbreak in U.S. history.
The CDC and Food and Drug Administration are investigating five separate clusters of illnesses, including one traced to Taylor Farms.
As of July 24, the CDC says, "Epidemiologic and traceback data continue to show that iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico was contaminated with Cyclospora and has made people sick" and that a total of 1,947 people infected with Cyclospora and reporting exposure to Taco Bell have been reported by nine states.
Earlier this month, FDA issued an apology after a laboratory test incorrectly identified a positive result for Cyclospora on a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms.
However, the acting FDA commissioner said on a subsequent press call that the false positive and the apology "do not change the basis for FDA's ongoing outbreak investigation or the epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms," according to multiple reports.
In July, Taylor Farms announced it was recalling 25 shredded lettuce and salad mix products sold under eight different brand codes. The products are used by a number of U.S. food chains and suppliers.
Cyclosporiasis is a disease characterized by watery, explosive diarrhea that is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, a parasite that can contaminate fresh produce. It can be contracted by consuming contaminated foods or water. Foods linked to past outbreaks have included a mix of greens and vegetables, such as parsley, broccoli and cilantro.
It cannot be spread person to person, as the parasite is passed through bowel movements and can take days or weeks before becoming infectious.
In addition to watery diarrhea, other symptoms include appetite loss, weight loss, cramping, bloating, flu-like symptoms, vomiting, and body aches, among others. Symptoms vary from person to person and can appear up to 14 days after contracting cyclosporiasis.
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