Midwest Gastrointestinal Nightmare Linked to Taco Bell
For weeks now, Sherry Dommer has been enduring a gastrointestinal nightmare.
She’s faced painful cramps, overwhelming exhaustion, and constant nausea. There have been frantic trips to the bathroom, often in the middle of the night.
At 49 years old, Dommer has always described herself as a “go-go-go person,” but not like this. The illness hit her and her son, creating what feels like a plague in their home. The source has been a mystery until recently.
The suspected cause? A Crunchy Taco Supreme.
Dommer is among thousands in the Midwest suffering from severe stomach issues linked to a parasite found in shredded lettuce used in tacos, burritos, and other Taco Bell dishes.
This cyclospora parasite has been causing serious intestinal distress across many areas of the country, with Monroe County, Michigan, experiencing particularly high rates of infection.
The discomfort has taken hold in the county, leading to overcrowded pharmacies and shifting local conversations away from other issues like data center disputes or storm effects. Instead, residents discuss the troubling experiences occurring in their homes and local restrooms.
Though jokes have arisen about the unpleasant symptoms, the reality is sobering, with hundreds hospitalized.
“It feels like someone took a baseball bat to your abdomen,” said Nathan Gaynier, a tooling engineer from Monroe County, recounting his troubling ordeal over a ten-day span. A pregnant court reporter from a neighboring county revealed she spent six days in a hospital, worrying for her unborn child. Nicole Goodman, a 44-year-old nurse, shared that she needed to wear a diaper to work, even while on antibiotics.
“This is something I’ve never seen before with my patients,” Goodman remarked.
All of these individuals reported eating at Taco Bell recently.
The company has stated that it has removed the contaminated lettuce from its locations, assuring customers they can still enjoy their favorites. A spokesperson emphasized that this issue is industry-wide, not just confined to Taco Bell.
Federal authorities revealed that outbreaks in five states, including Michigan, have been traced back to iceberg lettuce grown and shredded in Mexico, supplied to Taco Bell by a California-based company, Taylor Farms.
However, the situation appears to be more extensive. Taylor Farms announced a recall of iceberg lettuce distributed to 27 states. While many in Monroe suspect they contracted the illness through Taco Bell, certainty remains elusive.
The F.D.A. has indicated that other eateries and stores could also be involved as they continue to investigate.
Interestingly, Sherry Dommer believed she was safe from any taco-related parasites. She grows her own lettuce in her backyard, maintains beehives for honey, uses fresh eggs from her Pekin ducks, and has various fruit trees on her property.
But last month, after a trip into Monroe for a haircut with her 17-year-old son, he insisted on Taco Bell.
Not long after enjoying a Crunchy Taco Supreme, Dommer began feeling nauseous. Soon, her body was in revolt.
“Sometimes, there was no time to get out of the shower,” she grimaced, surrounded by her herbs and the gentle aroma of an essential oil diffuser.
Eventually, she sought help at urgent care, where a doctor requested a stool sample. She shared her communications with the local health department and her receipt from Taco Bell with the Times.
As new cases emerge, labs are scrambling to keep up with the influx of samples.
ProMedica, a regional healthcare provider, has its technicians working around the clock to address a stubborn backlog of about 550 samples. On a recent Friday, lab techs in Toledo were diligently testing stools for the parasite.
“That was positive,” noted Robin Fink, a 31-year-old lab employee, as she processed each specimen methodically.
Dr. Brian Kaminski, ProMedica’s vice president of medical affairs, reported that samples were coming back positive at an alarming 60 percent rate. This, combined with the rapid rise in cases, led him to conclude late last month that the region might be a hotspot for this outbreak.
As a precaution, he even discarded several tubs of mixed greens from his family’s fridge.
Abigail LaMonde, a court reporter in a neighboring county, recounted her recent experience, stating that she had vomited an astonishing twenty times within a few hours last week.
“It’s explosive diarrhea; it’s hard not to laugh, but it’s also incredibly serious,” she stated. LaMonde, who is 12 weeks pregnant, expressed her fears over the infection potentially affecting her baby. Doctors have been cautious about prescribing her the typical medication due to her pregnancy.
One Friday afternoon, when her husband returned home, he found her unconscious on the bathroom floor and quickly took her to the emergency room, bringing along their four-year-old daughter.
Having suffered past pregnancy losses, LaMonde was particularly anxious about how the infection could affect her fetus. She mentioned that since falling ill on July 9, she hadn’t eaten solid food.
As the outbreak continues to affect people across the country, life in Monroe is moving forward, albeit in a somewhat awkward manner, especially at the city’s five Taco Bell locations.
At the restaurant on Telegraph Road, where Ms. Dommer dined before falling ill, the parking lot has been mostly empty recently. In fact, at one point, the only customer spotted was a woman heading to Panera Bread next door.
Yet, during busy hours, cars were queued at the drive-through as employees filled orders for tacos and drinks.
Late one Friday night, a young Taco Bell worker delivered a brief warning to customers through the intercom: the tacos would be served without lettuce for the time being.
