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Gretchen Pleuss, a Wisconsin newlywed, says her honeymoon in Yellowstone National Park took a turn when she was hospitalized with cyclosporiasis
The parasite is known to cause “explosive” diarrhea and severe abdominal pain
Pleuss believes she contracted the parasite from shredded lettuce in a sandwich
A Wisconsin newlywed says her honeymoon was interrupted by a trip to the ER after she contracted cyclosporiasis.
Gretchen Pleuss and her husband were on a trip to Yellowstone National Park to celebrate their recent nuptials when she began feeling ill, according to WISN.
“I felt fine until we got out here, and a couple days into camping in the badlands, I started having symptoms,” Pleuss said while speaking to the outlet.
“It was just like incessant diarrhea,” she added.
Yellowstone National Park
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty
Pleuss said the pain in her abdomen became so severe that she eventually went to a local emergency room, where doctors told her she had tested positive for cyclosporiasis.
She said she believes she contracted the parasitic infection after eating shredded lettuce in a sandwich.
“It feels like your intestines are really tight, like something is seizing them,” Pleuss said while describing her experience with the illness.
The newlywed went on to say that she and her husband have been taking the ordeal in stride.
“It’s still our honeymoon, so we’re making the best of it,” she said.
“Our vows said in sickness and in health, so we’re just getting an early start on that,” Pleuss added.
There are currently 1,644 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. across five states, which have resulted in 94 known hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC previously reported that it is aware of more than 5,100 potential cases that would require further analysis “to confirm the illness as domestically acquired cyclosporiasis.”
The current outbreak has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce.
Shredded lettuce (stock image)
Credit: iStockphoto/Getty
Taylor Farms, a California-based agricultural company that provides lettuce to U.S.-based retail stores and restaurants, initiated a recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.
“Based on information provided … by the FDA, Taylor Farms de Mexico is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market,” the company wrote in a statement previously obtained by PEOPLE.
“While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely,” the company added.
The recall came after the CDC identified lettuce supplied to Taco Bell restaurants as a source of the multistate outbreak.
The chain restaurant announced that it had removed all affected Taylor Farms lettuce from its stores in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Friday, July 17.
“As of July 17, Taco Bell has completed removal of affected Taylor Farms lettuce from our restaurants,” the restaurant wrote.
“Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell worked swiftly to voluntarily remove the product from restaurants and the affected ingredient has been removed from our supply chain nationwide. We took this action to ensure our guests can enjoy their Taco Bell favorites safely,” Taco Bell continued.
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“Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same,” the restaurant chain added.
The primary symptoms of cyclosporiasis include watery and sometimes “explosive” diarrhea, fatigue and loss of appetite, according to the CDC.
Symptoms usually begin about one week after exposure, per the CDC.
Read the original article on People