DALLAS —Texas has reported more than 100 additional cyclosporiasis cases in the past week, according to state health authorities, for a total count of 315 reported cases so far this year. A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, Douglas Loveday, provided the updated case count on Tuesday afternoon. Among the Texas cases, according to Loveday, there have been 52 ...

Produce for sale at the Low-Line Market in the 3400 block of North Southport Avenue in Chicago on July 14, 2026.

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/TNS

DALLAS —Texas has reported more than 100 additional cyclosporiasis cases in the past week, according to state health authorities, for a total count of 315 reported cases so far this year.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, Douglas Loveday, provided the updated case count on Tuesday afternoon. Among the Texas cases, according to Loveday, there have been 52 hospitalizations this year.

The statewide count jumped from last week, when there were 188 reported cases.

Cyclosporiasis is the illness caused by the parasite cyclospora, which can be found on contaminated produce. Some number of Texans are sickened by the parasite each year. The cyclospora season typically runs from May through the end of August.

This year, though, the diarrhea-causing parasite has made national news amid major outbreaks in some states. Michigan health authorities have reported more than 12,000 cases this year, along with 279 hospitalizations and two deaths.

A multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak has been linked to a lettuce supplier. That supplier sold potentially contaminated iceberg lettuce to grocery stores and Taco Bell. The potentially contaminated lettuce was recalled in mid-July.

Texas has not had any cases linked to that large outbreak, and Texas' case count has not risen to nearly the level seen in some states.

Still, the case and hospitalization counts in Texas have now exceeded the numbers reported in each of the previous three years.

At this time of year in 2023, according to Loveday, there were 245 reported cyclosporiasis cases and 22 hospitalizations. The numbers in 2024 and 2025 were lower, with 90 and 80 cases reported by this time in those years, respectively.

Local and federal health authorities encourage people to practice safe food handling practices. That includes washing hands and surfaces that come into contact with food, as well as thorough rinsing of produce.

Cyclospora may survive cleaning. The surest way to kill the parasite is to cook produce to an internal temperature of at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit.