Federal health officials on July 26 reported 123 more cases of cyclospora infection linked to McDonald's salads, according CNN.
The CDC reports 286 confirmed illnesses and 11 hospitalizations from the outbreak, which started in May.
"Illnesses that started after June 14, 2018, might not have been reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. For cyclospora infections, this can take up to six weeks," the CDC said. They expect the number of cases to increase.
Reported illnesses have occurred in 15 states: Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. Sickened individuals in Connecticut, Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia reported buying salads while traveling through Illinois. Also, a Florida patient bought their salad in Kentucky.
The source of the outbreak is not yet determined, but the FDA is working with McDonald's to to trace common salad ingredients linked to the illnesses back through the food supply chain.
McDonald's on July 13 said it would remove its lettuce blend from about 3,000 locations across 15 states as a precaution. The company said it replaced the lettuce blend on July 20 with lettuce from a different supplier.
Both the CDC and FDA said the cyclospora outbreak linked to McDonald's salads is not connected to the ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis found in Del Monte Fresh Vegetable trays in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.
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