Army Veteran Sues Taco Bell, Claims Food Left Him Hospitalized With Cyclosporiasis

Taco Bell is facing continued backlash amid the ongoing Cyclosporiasis outbreak.

The intestinal illness is generally transmitted when infected feces contaminate food or water, according to the Food and Drug Administration, with the fast-food restaurant at the center of a series of lawsuits claiming its food led customers to contract the infection.

The latest comes from Army veteran David Ott, who claims he purchased and ate Taco Supremes from an Ohio Taco Bell on June 18 and June 20, only to experience abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea and more just days later.

Ott’s symptoms got so bad, in fact, that he ended up in the hospital, where he was admitted and “underwent a colonoscopy, a CT scan and extensive blood and stool studies,” per legal documents obtained by TMZ.

According to the outlet, Ott claims he was ultimately diagnosed with Cyclosporiasis.

Ott’s lawsuit follows that of another Taco Bell customer in Ohio, Mohammed Ayyad, who claims he ate at Taco Bell three times, also in June, and developed a headache, chills and persistent diarrhea.

Mohammed went to urgent care and provided a stool sample on July 6, which tested positive for Cyclospora, the outlet reports. He was prescribed antibiotics.

A Michigan couple is also suing the brand following a visit to one of its restaurants on June 30.

While Cyclospora has largely been reported across Midwestern states, it has spread across the U.S., with an estimated 7,000 people contracting the infection. The FDA has advised Americans to steer clear of raw, fresh produce, such as bagged salads, leafy greens, fresh herbs and berries, as officials work to get the outbreak under control.

Taco Bell has since addressed the outbreak, saying in a statement obtained by TMZ that it has “voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients” as a precaution, while noting that officials have not yet confirmed the source.

The FDA is also looking into Taylor Farms as a possible source of the reported infections. In a statement on Instagram on Friday, July 17, the company said, “No Taylor Farms branded salads or kits are associated with this cyclospora outbreak.”

“As a family-owned and operated company, we are deeply concerned for those who became ill, their families and the many Americans whose trust in the safety of their fresh produce has been shaken. That trust is something we’ve worked for decades to earn, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to restore that confidence,” the company wrote.

“Based on information provided yesterday by the FDA, Taylor Farms de Mexico is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico,” the company continued, adding that “No Taylor Farms branded salad kits contain iceberg lettuce.”

It concluded its statement by saying, “While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely.”