Cyclosporiasis Surge: Should you avoid certain foods?

A stomach parasite has now sickened nearly 7,000 people across the United States this year, and health officials say it is spreading into fruits, not just leafy greens.

Quick Take

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded almost 7,000 domestic cyclosporiasis cases this season, one of the largest outbreaks on record.
Investigators first suspected shredded lettuce, but warnings have widened to include cucumbers, onions, cilantro and now certain fruits.
Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky share a cluster of cases linked by genetic testing, though the exact food source is still unknown.
Fruits with thick skins, like bananas and citrus, are seen as safer choices while the investigation continues.

Case Numbers Keep Climbing

Health officials have watched this outbreak grow fast. In mid-July, the CDC had confirmed 1,645 cases and was checking 5,100 more possible cases across 34 states. By late July, the total domestic case count had jumped to nearly 7,000, making this one of the biggest cyclosporiasis outbreaks the country has seen. The illness causes watery diarrhea, cramping, bloating and fatigue that can last for weeks.

Michigan has been hit especially hard, with more than 4,000 reported cases and over 100 hospitalizations tied to this outbreak. Ohio has also reported hundreds of cases and hospitalizations, and health officials say the illness has spread into West Virginia and Kentucky as well. Genetic testing shows those four states share a cluster of cases that likely trace back to the same contaminated food, even though investigators have not named the exact product.

From Lettuce to Fruit: The Search Widens

Investigators first focused on shredded lettuce after cases were tied to it in multiple states. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later expanded its search, running traceback checks on white and green onions, cucumbers and cilantro to try to pin down where the contamination started. Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania were added to the federal investigation after cases there were connected to the outbreak first tied to lettuce served at fast-food restaurants.

Now, warnings have grown to include certain fruits. Fruits with tough skins or rinds, such as bananas, oranges, pineapples, watermelons and avocados, are considered safer choices right now, since their peels offer some protection. No fruit has been formally recalled as part of this outbreak, but items with lots of small crevices, like raspberries, carry more risk because the parasite can hide in tiny grooves that are hard to wash off.

A Familiar Pattern With Imported Produce

This is not the first time fresh produce has caused a cyclosporiasis outbreak. Federal health guidance has long linked the illness to fresh fruits and vegetables sold in the United States and abroad. State health departments have also flagged imported items like cilantro, basil, salad mix, snow peas and raspberries as repeat sources of past outbreaks.

In the mid-1990s, an outbreak tied to raspberries imported from Guatemala led the FDA to ban those imports, and the outbreaks stopped soon after. That history shows officials can eventually find and fix the source, but it often takes weeks or months of testing before they know for sure. Until then, health experts advise washing produce carefully and cooking food when possible, since cyclospora is spread through food or water contaminated with human waste.

10 Foods to Avoid Besides Lettuce as Cyclospora Outbreak Continues to Expand #Supermarkets #Fruit #Publichealth #Foodsafety https://t.co/FSSCNke602

— Jason Hosea (@JasonHosea7413) August 7, 2026

For many Americans, this outbreak adds to a growing sense that basic food safety systems are stretched thin. Shoppers are left guessing which fruits and vegetables are safe while investigators work through traceback data one supply chain at a time. Whether the final answer points to a single farm, a shared processor, or contaminated water, the case count climbing toward 7,000 shows how fast a hidden problem in the food supply can spread before anyone catches it.