Man hospitalized by diarrhea parasite shares Taco Bell item he ate before hospitalized

One man who was struck down after eating Taco Bell, has revealed what he ordered after an ingredient recall was linked to a parasite outbreak causing ‘explosive diarrhea’ in customers.

Nearly two thousand people have reportedly been infected by the parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, according to the latest information by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with just over 5,000 investigated cases under investigation.

While it's not known fully just how many chains in the US have been impacted, the FDA's report warned diners that the restaurant chain should be avoided in places such as Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia for the time being as customers reveal their symptoms.

But with the onset of symptoms likely to take some time show up, it can be hard to know the cause.

However, what this one man came to realize was that his Taco Bell order would cause him severe issues weeks after chowing down on his meal.

Per the investigation, it was confirmed that the outbreak may be caused by the lettuce used by the company as the FDA warned to 'contact your health care provider to report symptoms and receive care, especially if you ate shredded iceberg lettuce in the two weeks before you got sick.'

The FDA has said Taco Bell is 'working to stop use of all lettuce implicated by this investigation'.

For a Chicago man, his condition left him rushing to the emergency room, where he discovered his meal could have been the trigger.

Alonso Zaragoza from Belmont Cragin claims to be currently recovering from cyclosporiasis, as the 46-year-old explained how he's been unable to sleep for over a week since the onset of symptoms began.

“I’m probably at like 80% that’s still better than a lot of people right now,” he told NBC Chicago. “It was just every hour and a half going to the washroom. I don’t think I slept more than an hour and a half continuously in the last week.”

But when blood was noticed in his stool, things started to get serious.

He says he ate Chalupa at Taco Bell (Taco Bell)

He explained that his family took him to the ER to check him out, where he claims samples were taken and an IV drip was given to him.

The doctors at Northwestern Hospital allegedly told him they think he had an intestinal illness.

Thinking back, Zaragoza revealed his order which he believes could have been the culprit:

“I looked through everything, there was nothing that I ate that contained lettuce except for chalupa from the luxe box at Taco Bell."

He added: "I looked at the app, I Googled the ingredients—it said iceberg lettuce.”

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis

The most common complications of the parasite, per the Cleveland Clinic includes the likes of:

• Watery diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Cramping
• Bloating
• Increased gas
• Nausea
• Fatigue

Less common symptoms of includes:

• Vomiting
• Body aches
• Headache
• Low-grade fever
• Other flu-like symptoms

Now that he’s recovering, he has a message to others who may be suffering from the same thing: “Stay hydrated, be careful at where you’re eating, making sure you wash, clean, and cook any greens that you’re eating,” he said.