What to know about the latest food outbreaks in the US linked to lettuce, jalapeños

NEW YORK (WABC) -- There are currently two major food outbreaks in the U.S: cyclosporiasis cases tied to iceberg lettuce and salmonella cases tied to jalapeños. 

Health officials are hopeful that with the contaminated products now pulled from the market, the number of new cases will begin to decline.

There have been 346 cases of salmonella connected to the now-recalled jalapeños and 6,358 cases of cyclosporiasis linked to the now-recalled lettuce.

ABC News' Dr. Darien Sutton says foodborne illnesses can increase in the summer months.

"When the weather is warmer and our food comes from a lot farther places then we would assume, especially coming from Mexico, a lot of the bugs like to travel on that food," Sutton said. "With the warm weather they sustain and that’s how it lands on our tables."

Dr. Sutton said other contributing factors are reductions in staff at the FDA and CDC and other factors that allow the bugs to get through.

The recalled peppers have been pulled from Sweetgreen, Qdoba and Chipotle.

The FDA is working to determine if any of the recalled jalapeños went to grocery stores -- and if you have any of the recalled peppers at home, they advise that you do not eat them.

There are steps people can take at home to avoid getting sick.

"Making sure that we are washing our hands, cleaning high touch surfaces, and paying attention to recalls and being mindful of what foods cause foodborne illnesses," Sutton said.

And while the two foodborne illnesses have sickened thousands of Americans across the country, those numbers may decrease as the weather gets colder.

"We will likely see a change and a decrease in the current outbreaks towards the end of August and as we move into the fall," Sutton said.

Here's what you need to know about both outbreaks, including where infections have been detected.

Cyclosporiasis

Cyclosporiasis is a parasitic intestinal illness. Symptoms begin two days to two weeks after exposure and include watery diarrhea, fatigue and loss of appetite.

An outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce has seen at least 6,358 cases, including 278 hospitalizations and two deaths, according to data from the CDC.

Currently, 15 states have reported cases linked to the shredded iceberg lettuce outbreak: Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Originally, illnesses were isolated to shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell in nine states. However, health officials have found that the lettuce was also distributed to food services, retail stores and restaurants.

The lettuce was sourced in central Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms. Last month, Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico..

While other states are also reporting more illnesses, they have yet to be directly tied to the shredded iceberg lettuce outbreak. The CDC has reported more than 22,000 cases across 47 states. It is possible there are other contaminated sources leading to illnesses, which health officials are investigating. 

Salmonella

Salmonella is a bacterial illness with symptoms that begin six hours to six days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. 

An outbreak directly linked to now-recalled jalapeños has so far seen 346 cases in 27 states, including 26 hospitalizations, according to CDC data. No deaths have been reported so far.

States with cases include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The recalled fresh jalapeños were sourced from Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors to wholesalers and restaurants, including Chipotle and Qdoba.

Both restaurants have removed the jalapeños from their stores, the Food and Drug Administration said.

(ABC News contributed to this report.)