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• Posted August 4, 2026

Michigan Reports First US Deaths From Parasite Outbreak

Two Michigan residents have died in a widening outbreak of cyclosporiasis, the first deaths from the intestinal parasite ever confirmed in the United States.

State health officials announced the deaths Monday, the Associated Press reports.

Both people had significant underlying health conditions that may have been worsened by the infection and by dehydration, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said. 

The agency said it will release no further details about the two cases.

Both patients became ill before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce on July 17, MDHHS said.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects the bowels and spreads through feces. It causes watery diarrhea along with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Outbreaks tend to cluster in late spring and summer, when the heat-loving organism thrives. 

People typically pick it up by eating fruits or vegetables grown with irrigation water contaminated by feces, reports AP News.

Deaths remain rare. The CDC classifies cyclosporiasis as an illness that seldom turns fatal, and MDHHS said the same in announcing the two Michigan deaths.

Dr. Joel Kammeyer, division chief of infectious diseases at Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center, said most patients recover readily.

"For someone who comes into an urgent care and cyclosporiasis is their only issue, it's relatively easy to treat," he told AP News. But patients already struggling with other illnesses, he said, may not be able to withstand the dehydration that severe cases can bring.

Michigan counted 11,234 cases as of Aug. 3, MDHHS reported. Of those, 193 people had been hospitalized as of July 30.

Nationally, the CDC is aware of more than 18,000 confirmed or suspected cases in the current surge. Federal tallies can lag behind state reporting, which suggests the true figure is above 20,000, according to AP News.

That far outpaces the previous U.S. record of roughly 4,700 cases in 2019.

Federal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in nine states as one source of the outbreak. 

The CDC has cautioned that other brands, restaurants, retailers or distribution channels could also be involved as the investigation continues.

MDHHS said lettuce or salad greens may be a source of the Michigan cases but that no specific type of produce, grower or supplier has been pinpointed. Other foods have not been ruled out.

More information

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information about cyclosporiasis.

SOURCES: AP News, Aug. 3, 2026; Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Aug. 3, 2026