An Ohio woman says she became "deathly ill" with "violent diarrhea" just hours after taking a bite of a salad at a local restaurant.
The Toledo resident told 13 Action News she ordered the salad on June 24 but sent it back because some leaves were brown — not before taking a small bite that was enough to make her sick.
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Within hours of trying the salad, she suffered from debilitating diarrhea.
Her symptoms initially became manageable enough for her to get through work, but the diarrhea returned with a vengeance.
She experienced severe abdominal cramping and couldn't hold any solid food down.
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The woman went over a week without eating solid food and finally went to the emergency room after 10 days of illness.
There, she discovered she had cyclosporiasis.
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By that time, she also had a urinary tract infection and elevated liver enzymes, all as a result of the illness.
Nationwide Cyclosporiasis Outbreak
The CDC has confirmed 1,645 domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis since May.
Health agencies are still trying to determine the source, though previous outbreaks have stemmed from fresh produce, and evidence points to lettuce or salad greens as suspects.
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Taco Bell is currently under investigation as a possible connection to the outbreak. The chain has pulled several ingredients from the menu — including lettuce — as a precaution.
