By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
The summer of 2026 will be a remembered by Cyclospora victims for spending a lot of unpleasant time on the toilet.
🦠 Cyclospora Outbreak: Dr. Peter McCullough on Real America’s Voice Live
The Basics of the Parasite
Dr. Peter McCullough, Chief Scientific Officer of The Wellness Company, joined host Steve Gruber to break down the cyclospora outbreak sweeping the country. McCullough described cyclospora as a protozoa — essentially a parasite — that thrives in stagnant water like ponds. When contaminated water is used to irrigate crops, the parasite hitches a ride onto produce, particularly lettuce, strawberries, and raspberries.
The Tainted Lettuce Trail
Early epidemiology pointed to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell, with investigators tracing the supply back to Taylor Farms in Mexico, a massive operation that ships to over half of U.S. states — supplying Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, and countless restaurants. However, McCullough noted a critical twist: the PCR test used to link the outbreak to Taylor Farms came back as a false positive, meaning investigators are back to relying on epidemiological guesswork. He expressed sympathy for Taylor Farms, saying they got “fingered” on faulty lab work.
Symptoms You Don’t Want
McCullough didn’t sugarcoat it: the hallmark is explosive, watery diarrhea that can last up to a month, accompanied by low-grade fever, abdominal cramping, and serious dehydration risk — especially for seniors and those in congregate living. He revealed a family in his own office is battling it right now.
Treatment and Preparedness
The good news? Cyclospora is highly treatable with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim/Septra) — one tablet twice daily for seven days. McCullough advised treating empirically rather than waiting for ER testing, since not all facilities carry the PCR assay for cyclospora. His rule of thumb: “Explosive watery diarrhea is cyclospora until proven otherwise.” He also recommended keeping Imodium on hand, staying hydrated, and washing each individual lettuce leaf under running water followed by a salad spinner.
The Wellness Company Pitch
Both men touted the aquamarine blue Emergency Medical Kit from The Wellness Company, which includes trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and a guidebook. Gruber keeps one on his desk and urged viewers to grab the travel kit for summer trips. Promo code FOCALPOINTS.
💩 The Summer of ‘26 Legacy
Gruber tried valiantly to keep it professional, but let’s be honest — between the phrase “explosive watery diarrhea” being uttered on live television roughly a dozen times and McCullough casually noting his own child suffered through it, the summer of 2026 is shaping up to be less about patriotic fireworks and more about Americans white-knuckling their way to the bathroom, praying they didn’t eat too much of the side salad.
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Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH
Chief Scientific Officer, The Wellness Company
