What’s Making Michiganders Sick? The Latest on the Parasite Outbreak

I don't know about you, but I get really worried when I hear that there's a teeny, tiny parasite going around that's caused thousands of people in Michigan and more across the country to get sick and experience explosive diarrhea.

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It kind of sounds like a sick and twisted horror movie, but it's actually what's happening right now thanks to a massive outbreak of Cyclospora.

For the past few weeks Michiganders have been wondering if the food they're about to eat is going to be fine, or will it leave them spending the next two weeks of their life glued to the toilet, praying it will finally be over.

On Friday July 17th, the FDA said that they were able to traceback the outbreak to Taylor Farms in Mexico.

Their shredded iceberg lettuce was used by Taco Bell locations where sick people ate before becoming ill.

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This announcement led to Taylor Farms voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce that was sourced from central Mexico and sent to United States consumers.

But then on Sunday July 19th the FDA gave an update.

FDA Says Taylor Farms Cyclospora Finding Was 'False Positive'

The FDA shared in an update on Sunday that said due to the complexity in detection of Cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive.

FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples. As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.

Taylor Farms put out this message on social media.

I've got so many questions, but the main one is that if it's not coming from Taylor Farms then what is the cause of thousands of people getting explosive diarrhea?

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I hope this gets figured out soon and my fellow Michiganders and I can enjoy a meal in peace and not worry if what we're eating will cause us to make a run for the bathroom after.