https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cyclospora/fda-identifies-new-cyclospora-outbreak-unknown-source
FDA identifies new Cyclospora outbreak with unknown source
Meghan Holohan
Today at 3:14 p.m.
Cyclospora
Foodborne Disease
The FDA has started a traceback investigation for this latest outbreak, which has sickened 72 people, but the source remains unknown.
In total, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday noted 4,173 laboratory-confirmed, domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis in 41 states since May 1 and said it is awaiting confirmation of an additional 7,400, many of them from Michigan and Ohio. A total of 308 people with confirmed infections have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
The CDC also reported 767 travel-linked cases over the same period, with 33 hospitalizations and no deaths, tied to contaminated food or water consumed outside the United States.
Lettuce-linked Midwestern outbreak
An ongoing Cyclospora outbreak in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia linked to iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms has sickened 7,664 people and sent 160 to the hospital in Michigan, according to its Department of Health and Human Services.
It also has caused 2,380 people in Northwest Ohio to become ill, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department reported. The lettuce, grown in central Mexico, was recalled on July 17 and should not be consumed.
“I want to stress that our investigation continues, including into other potential sources and commodities for other clusters of illness,” Kyle Diamantas, JD, acting FDA commissioner, said in a media call on Monday.
It’s likely this will be the worst year on record for cyclosporiasis if trends continue. In 2019, the CDC identified 4,703 cases of cyclosporiasis, and 2026 seems poised to surpass this number.
If we try to avoid all of our exposures that could lead to an illness, we’re going to miss tremendous opportunities to enrich our diets and contribute to our overall health.
Craig Hedberg, PhD
On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the outbreak is “under control.” Still, the FDA lists the five-state outbreak as an ongoing investigation.
Complicated investigation
Finding the source of a Cyclospora outbreak remains difficult. Small amounts of the parasite on fresh produce can cause illness. But tests sometimes fail to detect it.
“With bacterial pathogens, where the organisms can be grown in culture, the growth of the organisms in culture can help get above the level of detection and produce strong signals that can be confirmed,” explained Craig Hedberg, PhD, professor of environmental health sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. “That is not possible with Cyclospora.”
Identifying the source of Cyclospora often relies on interviews with people sickened by it.
“All of the information that we have to solve outbreaks comes from people who are involved in the outbreaks,” Hedberg said. “There would be a fairly detailed list of questions that our public health officials would want to ask them, and they should be prepared to respond because that’s really where the answers come from.”
Most produce safe to eat
As for the new outbreak, it’s hard to make recommendations about which produce to skip, because a source has not been identified.
Even with several outbreaks ongoing, most fresh fruits and vegetables are safe to consume and aren’t linked to a Cyclospora outbreak. “If we try to avoid all of our exposures that could lead to an illness, we’re going to miss tremendous opportunities to enrich our diets and contribute to our overall health,” Hedberg said.
People who notice symptoms such as explosive diarrhea, cramping, bloating, and nausea should visit their doctor. Available treatments can shorten the illness, and people with a confirmed cyclosporiasis diagnosis can contribute to the investigation.
FDA identifies new Cyclospora outbreak with unknown source
Meghan Holohan
Today at 3:14 p.m.
Cyclospora
Foodborne Disease
Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it was looking into a new Cyclospora outbreak unrelated to previously reported ongoing outbreaks, including those related to contaminated lettuce in five midwestern states.The FDA has started a traceback investigation for this latest outbreak, which has sickened 72 people, but the source remains unknown.
In total, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday noted 4,173 laboratory-confirmed, domestically acquired cases of cyclosporiasis in 41 states since May 1 and said it is awaiting confirmation of an additional 7,400, many of them from Michigan and Ohio. A total of 308 people with confirmed infections have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
The CDC also reported 767 travel-linked cases over the same period, with 33 hospitalizations and no deaths, tied to contaminated food or water consumed outside the United States.
Lettuce-linked Midwestern outbreak
An ongoing Cyclospora outbreak in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia linked to iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms has sickened 7,664 people and sent 160 to the hospital in Michigan, according to its Department of Health and Human Services.
It also has caused 2,380 people in Northwest Ohio to become ill, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department reported. The lettuce, grown in central Mexico, was recalled on July 17 and should not be consumed.
“I want to stress that our investigation continues, including into other potential sources and commodities for other clusters of illness,” Kyle Diamantas, JD, acting FDA commissioner, said in a media call on Monday.
It’s likely this will be the worst year on record for cyclosporiasis if trends continue. In 2019, the CDC identified 4,703 cases of cyclosporiasis, and 2026 seems poised to surpass this number.
If we try to avoid all of our exposures that could lead to an illness, we’re going to miss tremendous opportunities to enrich our diets and contribute to our overall health.
Craig Hedberg, PhD
On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the outbreak is “under control.” Still, the FDA lists the five-state outbreak as an ongoing investigation.
Complicated investigation
Finding the source of a Cyclospora outbreak remains difficult. Small amounts of the parasite on fresh produce can cause illness. But tests sometimes fail to detect it.
“With bacterial pathogens, where the organisms can be grown in culture, the growth of the organisms in culture can help get above the level of detection and produce strong signals that can be confirmed,” explained Craig Hedberg, PhD, professor of environmental health sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. “That is not possible with Cyclospora.”
Identifying the source of Cyclospora often relies on interviews with people sickened by it.
“All of the information that we have to solve outbreaks comes from people who are involved in the outbreaks,” Hedberg said. “There would be a fairly detailed list of questions that our public health officials would want to ask them, and they should be prepared to respond because that’s really where the answers come from.”
Most produce safe to eat
As for the new outbreak, it’s hard to make recommendations about which produce to skip, because a source has not been identified.
Even with several outbreaks ongoing, most fresh fruits and vegetables are safe to consume and aren’t linked to a Cyclospora outbreak. “If we try to avoid all of our exposures that could lead to an illness, we’re going to miss tremendous opportunities to enrich our diets and contribute to our overall health,” Hedberg said.
People who notice symptoms such as explosive diarrhea, cramping, bloating, and nausea should visit their doctor. Available treatments can shorten the illness, and people with a confirmed cyclosporiasis diagnosis can contribute to the investigation.