Cyclospora source still unknown in North Carolina despite Michigan lettuce lead

Health officials investigating an outbreak of thousands of cases of cyclosporiasis nationwide may be one step closer to identifying a source. 

Michigan health officials have stated they are honing in on lettuce as a possible source. The state has reported more than 3,700 cases including 44 hospitalizations as of July 15, 2026.

Ellen Shumaker, a food safety expert with NC State, shared answers in the Tarheel state may take a bit more time. 

“Avoiding lettuce is not necessarily the recommendation in North Carolina,” Shumaker said. “That's the recommendation currently in Michigan because it's looking like they are maybe a little bit further to identifying the source. Here in North Carolina, we don't quite know what the source is.”

Several factors at play are likely influencing why North Carolina hasn’t yet issued a statewide notice regarding lettuce, or any specific produce. One factor is that the state hasn’t yet linked the more than 300 cases reported in multiple counties to each other, nor has a connection between North Carolina’s cases and Michigan’s outbreak been identified.

“I think just given the range of illnesses that we're seeing across so many different states, it's possible that we are maybe seeing either different batches of lettuce or different food products causing it altogether,” Shumaker said. 

Past outbreaks of the Cyclospora parasite in the U.S. have been tied to other produce like basil, cilantro, berries, and parsley. 

Chef Jake Wolf with Empire Eats in downtown Raleigh oversees culinary operations at Sitti and Gravy on Wilmington Street. He told WRAL both locations have added extra steps to protect customers. “We're just doubling down on all of our food handling procedures, on our washing,” Wolf explained. “After we wash it, we keep it separate. We remove the cutting boards, and we sanitize those before they're used again. We discard the washing water, so we're always using fresh water.” Chef Jake Wolf says while awareness is heightened, nothing on the menus at either location is of concern as of now. He also shared that most of their produce is sourced locally, with constant communication between the certified purveyors. 

“We keep those lines of communication open, so it gives us that peace of mind that we really know where our produce is coming from and the freshness of it,” he said. 

At home, consumers are advised to thoroughly wash fresh produce, however health experts say to know washing alone may not be enough to get rid of the Cyclospora parasite.