Cyclosporosis outbreak currently linked to nine states
According to the CDC, more than 4,100 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in nine states.
An outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which has sickened hundreds of Americans with stomach-wrenching parasitic infections, is now linked to nine states, federal health officials say.
Those nine states include Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, according to a July 24 update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only five states were previously linked, including Michigan, which had the highest number of cases.
The CDC continues to investigate other cyclosporiasis illnesses unrelated to this outbreak, the agency added.
“This outbreak may not be confined to states with known disease outbreaks, and the actual number of cases is likely much higher than reported,” the CDC noted. “This is because many people recover without treatment and are not tested for Cyclospora.”
Reported cases continue to rise across the United States, with the CDC reporting more than 4,100 laboratory-confirmed cystic disease cases in the United States since May 1. Overall, 41 states have reported cases, the CDC said. The CDC’s case numbers can lag the numbers announced by state health officials by up to six weeks due to tracking, verification and reporting processes, the agency said.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal disease caused by the parasite Cyclospora caetanensis. People usually become infected after consuming contaminated food or water.
Other outbreaks of cyclosporiasis also under investigation
In addition to the Michigan-centered outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, authorities are also investigating a smaller outbreak that has sickened at least 72 people. The Food and Drug Administration said it has not yet identified the new source and has begun a follow-up investigation.
Two other outbreaks, which the FDA classified as separate from the largest one, also remained listed as having causes “not yet determined” as of July 24. State and health experts say the source of all cluster outbreaks is unlikely to be the same.
As USA TODAY previously reported, the source of cyclosporiasis is more difficult to trace than food poisoning because of long incubation periods, difficulty in obtaining samples, and the inability to use the same genetic tracking tools as pathogens such as E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes.
Taylor Farms lettuce is the only source named by the FDA so far, but it’s still causing some confusion.
After the FDA pointed to lettuce samples from Mexico that it said had tested positive for Cyclospora on July 18, Taylor Farms said in a July 19 statement that the FDA had “apologized” to the brand for the “false positive” in a now-deleted social media post and statement still available on its website.
In a July 20 post, the FDA clarified that the false-positive test samples “do not change the basis of FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting Taylor Farms’ current voluntary recall.”
A White House official familiar with the matter told USA TODAY on Wednesday, June 22, “Taylor Farms’ intentionally misleading statements, including the now-deleted X post that falsely claimed that the FDA had ‘apologized’ to them, have actively angered government officials and reflect how poorly Taylor Farms is working in good faith to restore the American people’s trust and confidence in our nation’s food supply.”
Taylor Farms did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on July 24.
Meanwhile, as reported by USA TODAY, Mexican health officials also said there is not yet enough evidence to support the FDA’s claim that the outbreak originated across the border.
Contributor: Mike Snider, Slime Venugopal, USA Today
