𝕽𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖑 𝕽𝖊𝖇𝖊𝖑

Since you posted your comment, there’s been a large produce company tied to the Taco Bell cases (Taylor Farms). As someone in the field of microbiology, this isn’t just bacteria that can be controlled with disinfectants and sanitizers. This is a protist with a structured life cycle that spends the majority of its life as an oocyst. This SUCKS as it’s resistant to heat and pretty sticky in this stage. So the only options for eradication will involve stopping all manufacturing for weeks and creating an insanely dry environment so the pathogen eventually dies from desiccation. Nonetheless, the more concerning issue is the source of the pathogen, as at this scale, it must have involved a contaminated water supply that was used to grow the crops. So while Taylor Farms will have to destroy a ton of product and shut down production for weeks, there’s a chance as soon as they’re back at it they unknowingly source more contaminated water, unless we clearly identify and address the issue.

PS: Humans are the only known vector and host for this specific protist species!