Taco Bell Changes Menu Amid Explosive Diarrhea Parasite Outbreak

Taco Bell has spent years being the butt of jokes about emergency bathroom trips ... but this time, there's actually a real reason some customers might be nervous.

The fast-food giant has reportedly pulled several fresh ingredients -- including lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, and its cilantro-onion blend -- from some locations while health officials investigate a surge in cyclospora, a foodborne parasite that can trigger weeks of stomach misery ... including what's been described as "explosive" diarrhea.

The move has left some menu items looking a little bare ... and, for once, the usual Taco Bell bathroom jokes come with a real health warning.

So don't be shocked if your tacos, Crunchwrap Supreme, or certain Cantina Chicken orders show up looking a little less loaded.

Cyclospora cases are surging across the country ... with 17 states reporting cases of people sickened by the foodborne parasite so far, including almost 1,000 people affected in Michigan alone.

To be clear, Taco Bell hasn't been identified as the source of the outbreak, and officials haven't said anyone got sick from eating at the chain. Investigators are instead tracing contaminated fresh produce that's been distributed more broadly.

Still, it's brutal timing for a chain that's spent decades trying to outrun bathroom jokes.

For now, "hold the lettuce" isn't a special request ... it's just how some Taco Bell orders are coming out.

How's that for living mas?!?