Cyclosporiasis outbreak now linked to 9 states
More than 4,100 cyclosporiasis cases have been reported across 9 states, according to the CDC.
A cyclosporiasis outbreak, which has left hundreds of Americans with a stomach-churning parasitic infection, has now been linked to nine states, according to federal health officials.
Those nine states include Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, according to an update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 24. Previously, just five states were connected, including Michigan, which accounted for a high number of the cases.
The CDC is still investigating other cyclosporiasis illnesses that are unrelated to this outbreak, the agency added.
“This outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses, and the true number of sick people is likely much higher than the number reported,” the CDC noted. “This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Cyclospora.”
Across the country, reported cases continue to grow, with the CDC reporting more than 4,100 laboratory-confirmed cyclosporiasis cases in the United States since May 1. Overall, cases have been reported in 41 states, the CDC said. The CDC’s case numbers can lag by as much as six weeks behind those cited by state health officials, due to tracking, verification and reporting processes, the agency said.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. People typically become infected after consuming contaminated food or water.
Other cyclosporiasis outbreaks being investigated
In addition to the Michigan-centered outbreak, which was linked to recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, officials 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 source of the newer outbreak and has launched a traceback investigation.
Two other outbreaks that the FDA categorized as separate from the largest one also remain listed as having a cause “not yet identified” as of July 24. State and health experts have said it is unlikely that all of the case clusters have the same source.
The source of a cyclosporiasis outbreak is more difficult to track than foodborne illnesses due to a long incubation period, difficulty obtaining samples and the inability to use the same genetic tracking tools available for pathogens like E. coli and listeria, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
Taylor Farms’ lettuce has been the only source named by the FDA thus far, though even that has prompted some confusion.
After the FDA pointed to a lettuce sample from Mexico it said tested positive for cyclospora on July 18, Taylor Farms said in a July 19 statement that the agency had “apologized” to the brand for a “false positive” in a now-deleted social media post and a statement still available on its website.
The FDA clarified in a July 20 X post that the false-positive lab sample “DOES NOT change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”
A White House source familiar with the matter told USA TODAY on Wednesday, June 22, that “Taylor Farms’ intentionally misleading statements, including their now-deleted X post that falsely claimed the FDA ‘apologized’ to them, is actively aggravating administration officials, and reflect how Taylor Farms is not working in good faith to restore Americans’ confidence and trust in our food supply.”
Taylor Farms did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on July 24.
Mexican health authorities, meanwhile, have also said there has not yet been ample evidence to support the FDA’s assertion that the outbreak originated over the border, as reported by USA TODAY.
Contributing: Mike Snider, Swapna Venugopal, USA TODAY
