Cyclospora tops 18,000 US cases as Michigan signals the outbreak may have peaked

CDC surveillance jumped to 6,707 confirmed and more than 11,500 suspected in a week, even as Michigan says ER visits are slowing and a coalition presses the Senate to restore the Cyclospora tracking HHS cut a year ago. Plus KTM recalls 6,257 Husqvarna and GasGas motorcycles over a rear brake that can fail without warning, and the eggs, Nara, Clover Hill, and Cal Dairies outbreaks hold.

The national count of the parasite illness crossed a threshold this week that is simultaneously the worst number of the outbreak and the first hint it may be turning. On Tuesday the CDC reported more than 18,000 confirmed or suspected cyclosporiasis cases nationwide, according to (NBC News, July 28). The agency's surveillance tally now stands at 6,707 laboratory-confirmed cases, up from 4,173 a week ago, plus more than 11,500 additional cases still awaiting confirmation, per (Food Safety News, July 28). That is roughly a 60 percent jump in the confirmed national count in seven days.

The separate, named outbreak tied to Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell has not been updated since July 24, when the CDC counted 1,947 cases across nine states (Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan) with 98 hospitalizations and no deaths, per the (CDC outbreak page). The state numbers tell a bigger story because they run ahead of the federal count. Michigan reported 9,680 cases on July 28, up 427 from 9,253 the day before, with 160 hospitalizations, per the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Freep, July 28. Indiana reported 954 on July 28, per Food Safety News.

The new wrinkle is the direction. Michigan, the hotspot, says the outbreak may have peaked. Chief medical executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian told (NBC News, July 28) that the share of emergency-department visits listing diarrhea as a main complaint is slowing, and that roughly 475 of the cases added since July 24 were a reporting delay at one health system, not a sudden surge. She added a real caveat: some labs, hit by backlogs and testing-supply limits, are now testing only the severely ill or immunocompromised, so milder cases are going uncounted. "I don't know if a single product recall is related to the slowdown that we've seen," Bagdasarian said. Other states, including New York and North Carolina (561 cases), are seeing clusters from still-unidentified sources, with officials eyeing cilantro and parsley that have not been confirmed.

One reason the federal numbers lag the states by thousands is structural, and a push to reverse it landed this week. HHS cut Cyclospora, along with Campylobacter, Listeria, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia, out of the CDC's FoodNet tracking system on July 1, 2025, leaving only Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli tracked, per (Food Safety News, July 28). A coalition of consumer and industry groups has now asked the Senate Appropriations subcommittee to restore FoodNet Cyclospora tracking, citing flat funding and the gap it has opened in the country's largest foodborne outbreak in years.

The recall itself is unchanged. Taylor Farms de Mexico recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico on July 17, per the (company recall notice). The retail products most likely still in a refrigerator are Walmart Marketside 12-oz and 24-oz Iceberg Salad and 8-oz and 16-oz Shredded Lettuce with "best if used by" dates of July 18 through August 3, a window that is still open today. Do not eat, sell, or serve them; throw them out or return them. Washing does not remove Cyclospora. Walmart is at 1-800-925-6278 and Taylor Farms at 855-455-0098. No Taylor Farms-branded salad kits are included; none contain iceberg.

KTM recalls 6,257 Husqvarna and GasGas motorcycles over a rear brake that can fail without warning

A brake defect that gives no warning before it quits has pulled more than 6,000 dual-sport motorcycles off the road. KTM North America filed recall 26V443 with NHTSA on July 8, covering 6,257 motorcycles, per the (NHTSA Part 573 report). The population is 5,395 Husqvarna units and 862 GasGas units: 2022-2024 Husqvarna FE 501S and FE 350S, and 2024 GasGas ES 500 and ES 350, per (RideApart, July 16).

The defect is in the J.Juan/Braktec rear brake caliper. Its primary pin casting can crack or break when the motorcycle rolls backward, and that can cause the caliper to break during forward motion, reducing braking effectiveness and raising crash risk, per the NHTSA filing. One crash has been reported, in Germany. KTM says there are no warning signs before failure. An improved caliper, with the pin area widened from 6.5 mm to 10.5 mm, has been used from the 2025 model year on, so those bikes are not included.

What to do: stop riding the bike and contact an authorized KTM, Husqvarna, or GasGas dealer. Dealers will replace the rear brake caliper free of charge. Vehicle identification numbers have been searchable at NHTSA.gov/recalls since July 15, but owner letters do not mail until around September 2, so calling a dealer with your VIN now is faster than waiting. KTM and Husqvarna customer service is at 1-888-985-6090. Riders who already paid for a caliper replacement can ask about reimbursement with documentation. The safe move, given a brake that can quit without warning, is to park it until the fix is done.

Tracking the outbreaks and recalls still open

Recalled eggs, Salmonella: Holds at 98 illnesses, 26 hospitalizations, no deaths, across 17 states, unchanged since the CDC's July 24 update, per the (CDC). The sell-by window of July 20 through August 17 is still open, so check cartons from Midwest Poultry for plant code P-1950 or 0840962 and a Julian date of 157 through 184. Return them to the store or call 574-405-9531.
Nara Organics infant formula, botulism: Holds at four hospitalized infants in California, Pennsylvania, and Washington, with no new cases since the June 13 notice, per the (CDC). Nara's July 24 testing update, already reported here, found all 27 unopened cans from the implicated lots negative for toxin and one opened can positive. The recall of all lots sold at Target and Nara.com stands.
Clover Hill soft cheese, Listeria: Unchanged at 12 illnesses, 10 hospitalizations, and one death in Maryland, per the (CDC). The La Ceiba requeson (sold at La Colonia and Selectos Latinos) passed its July 10 date 19 days ago, so any remaining product should be thrown out.
California Dairies dry milk, Salmonella: Now in its fourth month, the April 20 recall of 2.7 million pounds of nonfat dry milk has spread to more than 40 downstream products with zero reported illnesses, per the FDA. A wave of county health alerts this week re-circulated two of those downstream items, Blackstone Parmesan Ranch seasoning and Motor City Pizza Co. 5 Cheese Bread, but both were originally recalled in May, not this week.
Kia Telluride, fire: The 462,869-vehicle 2020-2024 Telluride recall (26V430) remains open. Park outside and away from structures until the electronic fuse is installed. Owner letters mail August 13. Kia is at 1-800-333-4542, reference SC374.
Ford, multiple actions: Three Ford recalls are active this month alone, the Bronco engine-bay fire (26V468), the second-row seat that can move (26V451), and the driver seat that can recline on its own (26V470). If you drive a 2021-2026 Bronco or a 2020-2027 Explorer or Aviator, run your VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls now rather than waiting for a letter.