Man hospitalised by 'explosive diarrhoea' parasite shares what he ate before falling ill
Nobody wants to spend their week making repeated trips to the bathroom, let alone ending up in hospital because of it.
But that's exactly what happened to Chicago man Alonso Zaragoza, who contracted the parasite Cyclospora and says the illness became so severe that he had no choice but to head to the emergency room.
Speaking to NBC Chicago, Zaragoza said: "It was just every hour and a half going to the washroom.
"I don't think I slept more than an hour and a half continuously in the last week."
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After noticing blood in his stool, he headed to the emergency room, where doctors carried out blood and stool tests before treating him with an IV drip.
While recovering, Zaragoza began looking back through everything he had eaten in the days before he became ill.
"I looked through everything, there was nothing that I ate that contained lettuce except for chalupa from the luxe box at Taco Bell," he said.
"I looked at the app, I Googled the ingredients - it said iceberg lettuce."
Zaragoza's case comes amid a Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened more than 1,600 people across five US states.
Symptoms related to the illness outbreak include fatigue, stomach cramps, ‘watery diarrhoea’, vomiting, and low-grade fever, Dr Omer Awan, University of Maryland School of Medicine, has told PBS News Hour.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the illness is not usually life-threatening, and that those affected may not always experience symptoms, which usually include diarrhoea 'with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements'.
According to US health officials, confirmed cases linked to the outbreak have been reported in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
Last week, the fast food chain stated that it had 'voluntarily and temporarily removed' certain ingredients from some locations as a result of the outbreak.
Their statement, seen by the publication, read: "Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer.
"While authorities continue their broader review, Taco Bell has voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients at select restaurants as a precautionary measure. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and follow the guidance of public health authorities."
FOODbible has approached Taco Bell for comment.
His comments come as US health officials continue investigating a wider Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened hundreds of people across the country.
As FOODbible previously reported, investigators have been looking into whether contaminated iceberg lettuce could be behind a number of infections.
Since then, the FDA has linked a five-state outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at certain Taco Bell restaurants.
However, the investigation is still ongoing.
In its latest update, the agency said an earlier laboratory result suggesting Cyclospora had been found in a lettuce sample was actually a false positive after further testing.
As things stand, officials have not confirmed any positive product tests for Cyclospora and are continuing to investigate the source of the outbreak
For now, Zaragoza says he's focused on recovering and hopes others can learn from his experience.
"Stay hydrated, be careful at where you're eating, making sure you wash, clean, and cook any greens that you're eating," he said.
Ali Condon