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An Ohio man has taken his battle with a parasite straight to the courtroom, filing a lawsuit against a Taco Bell franchisee after claiming a meal at one of the chain's Cleveland-area locations left him bedridden and battling cyclosporiasis for weeks.

It's a case that turns a routine fast-food run into the center of a sprawling public health investigation.

Two Visits, One Painful Aftermath

Mohammed Ayyad's lawsuit alleges he ate at a Taco Bell in North Olmsted, Ohio, on June 14, ordering items he says were part of his regular rotation. He returned again on June 21, this time loading up on multiple orders of cheesy fiesta potatoes and avocado ranch chicken stackers — a seemingly harmless habit that, according to the suit, would soon spiral into a medical ordeal.

Symptoms That Wouldn't Let Go

By June 23, Ayyad says he began feeling the first warning signs of infection. What started as a fever quickly snowballed into diarrhea and vomiting over the following day, according to the lawsuit — a rapid decline that reads like a body under siege.

The illness didn't pass quickly, either. Ayyad remained sick through July 2, eventually seeking medical care and submitting a stool sample. Results confirmed on July 9 that he had contracted cyclosporiasis, requiring antibiotic treatment. By the time it was over, he'd missed two full weeks of work — time and wages he's now seeking to recover.

Lawsuit Targets Franchisee Over "Defective" Food

The suit accuses the Taco Bell franchisee, Pacific Bells LLC, of selling defective food products to Ayyad, who is now pursuing damages for pain and suffering, medical and pharmaceutical costs, lost wages, and emotional distress — a legal case that mirrors the physical toll the illness took on him.

CDC Update Reveals Outbreak's True Scale

The lawsuit lands against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding federal investigation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted an update Thursday confirming that it, alongside other public health agencies, is probing cyclospora infections tied to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations across five states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Case Numbers Climbing Into The Thousands

The scope of the outbreak is staggering on its own. The CDC's update logged 1,644 cyclospora infections connected to Taco Bell exposure across those five states, with illness onset dates stretching from May 13 to July 13. Of those cases, 94 people required hospitalization, though no deaths have been reported — a silver lining amid an otherwise alarming case count.

Health officials were quick to caution that the real total is almost certainly higher. "The true number of sick people in the outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses," the update noted — a warning rooted in the reality that many mild cases go untested, while others simply haven't been confirmed yet, since it can take up to six weeks to link an illness to the broader outbreak.

FDA Traces Contamination To Single Lettuce Supplier

Investigators have zeroed in on what may be the outbreak's origin point: the Food and Drug Administration identified a single supplier of shredded lettuce from Mexico that supplied the Taco Bell locations where sickened customers had eaten.

The agency is now working to determine whether that same lettuce made its way to other restaurants or retailers, and whether any potentially contaminated product remains on store shelves or in supply chains today.

Taco Bell Says It Acted Fast

Taco Bell, for its part, says it moved swiftly once concerns surfaced. In a statement provided to FOX Business Thursday, the company said: "Based on ongoing conversations with public health officials, and out of an abundance of caution, Taco Bell has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states. The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states."

The chain also framed its response as part of a broader shared responsibility. "While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests," the company added, encouraging other restaurants and retailers to follow its lead.

As the Taco Bell sued over cyclospora saga unfolds in court, the broader outbreak investigation continues to widen — leaving public health officials, the FDA, and now the legal system all racing to answer the same question: just how far did this contamination spread?