Taco Bell Sued By Army Vet Claiming He Was Hospitalized With Cyclosporiasis

Taco Bell is hearing the public's outrage about the recent cyclosporiasis outbreak as loud and clear as a bell ... and now they've been named as a defendant in at least three new lawsuits.

The fast-food chain is being sued by multiple people in connection with the recent outbreak of a parasite that causes explosive diarrhea ... including one man who claims he was admitted to a hospital after coming down with some severe symptoms following a meal at Taco Bell.

A 27-year military veteran named David Ott -- who is being represented by respected law firm Ron Simon & Associates -- claims he purchased and ate some Taco Supremes from an Ohio Taco Bell on June 18 and June 20 ... and, a couple days after, he experienced abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, and more.

He says when the symptoms worsened, he went to a local hospital where he was admitted and "underwent a colonoscopy, a CT scan, and extensive blood and stool studies." He says he was ultimately diagnosed with cyclosporiasis.

Another Ohio man, Mohammed Ayyad, claims he ate at Taco Bell three times -- twice on June 14 and once on June 21 -- after which he says he developed a headache, chills, and persistent diarrhea.

Ultimately, Mohammed says he went to urgent care and provided a stool sample on July 6, which tested positive for cyclospora. He was prescribed antibiotics.

A Michigan couple is also suing the brand ... claiming they ate shredded lettuce at a Taco Bell on June 30. They say the food was "grossly contaminated with fecal matter containing the Cyclospora parasite" ... and say they also suffered a cyclospora infection and were forced to submit to medical care.

As you know ... the Food and Drug Administration is reportedly looking into Taylor Farms as a possible source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak plaguing 4 Midwestern states.

Taco Bell recently said in a statement that it has "voluntarily and temporarily removed limited ingredients" as a precaution, but stressed that officials hadn't confirmed a source yet.