Overview

The Cyclospora Outbreak or Explosive Diarrhea Parasite, also known as the Diarrhea Forever Meme, refers to the 2026 outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis in the United States, thought to be spread through produce. The most reported effect of cyclospora cayetanesis is explosive diarrhea.

The outbreak was first reported at the end of June 2026 and became increasingly prevalent throughout July, with most media sources highlighting the explosive diarrhea in their reporting. As the outbreak continued to spread across the U.S. and reached areas of Canada, it also inspired memes surrounding the explosive diarrhea, with people making jokes about having uncontrollable diarrhea forever.

Background

At the end of June 2026, an outbreak of Cyclospora causing explosive diarrhea started to spread in the United States, with news outlets picking up the story and beginning to report on it.

One of the earliest known posts was made by the @Polymarket X^[1] / Twitter account on June 30th, writing, "JUST IN: A parasite that causes explosive diarrhea has reportedly spread to 20 U.S. states," gaining over 35,000 likes in two weeks.

Developments

The outbreak continued to spread across the U.S., reportedly reaching parts of Canada, throughout July 2026.

On July 2nd, 2026, the Fox 32 Chicago YouTube^[2] channel posted a report on the outbreak, claiming that it spread through contaminated food and that, at the time, 145 cases were reported across 17 states. An expert claims that it is spread through fresh produce and that grilling, cooking or washing produce could help prevent contracting the parasite.

On July 9th, Dallas Express^[3] reported that Taco Bell pulled lettuce, guacamole, and pico de gallo from many of their restaurants in the U.S. out of fear of contamination.

On July 14th, 2026, CBC^[4] reported that, according to Michigan officials, lettuce could be the cause of the outbreak. That day, The Guardian^[5] published a report claiming that the outbreak could continue through August.

Online Reactions

The Cyclospora outbreak inspired widespread reactions and discussions online during the summer of 2026, including memes that revolve around explosive diarrhea or diarrhea forever.

On June 30th, 2026, X^[6] user @HubPointless posted a Rodney Dangerfield meme in response to Polymarket's report of the outbreak, garnering over 138,000 likes in two weeks.

It was reposted to the /r/shitposting^[7] subreddit that same day to over 3,000 upvotes and roughly 40 comments in two weeks.

That day, a SpongeBob meme was posted to the /r/BikiniBottomTwitter^[8] subreddit titled, "The explosive diarrhea outbreak is real lol," garnering over 5,800 upvotes in two weeks.

On July 9th, 2026, Redditor PlayaSlayaX posted the link to the article about Taco Bell pulling key ingredients because of the outbreak to the /r/nottheonion^[9] subreddit, gaining over 17,000 upvotes in a week.

On July 12th, another meme about Taco Bell and the explosive diarrhea outbreak was posted to the /r/LoveTrash^[10] subreddit, featuring comments by people who claim that Taco Bell always gives you explosive diarrhea anyway, garnering over 5,300 upvotes in three days.

On July 13th, 2026, X^[11] user @notchrisvolpe posted a meme about the Cyclospora spreading through lettuce, garnering over 31,000 likes in two days.

Search Interest

External References