Cyclospora cases in 15 states have been linked to iceberg lettuce, U.S. health officials said Wednesday, adding six states with cases tied to the ongoing outbreak
The parasite has been reported in at least 47 states total this year, and investigators have continued to probe how many could be linked to a common contaminated source
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of states tied to the deadly outbreak had grown from nine to 15. Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina were added to a list that included Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia
Investigators initially narrowed in on the lettuce served at Taco Bell. Federal officials subsequently said they are focused on Taylor Farms as the iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico
Confusion was sparked last month when the Food and Drug Administration announced that a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms that had tested positive for cyclospora was a false positive. But the FDA clarified the next day that the investigation and evidence “continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico.”
“I don’t think we can say that this is under control yet,” Dr. Ulysses Wu, the chief epidemiologist for Hartford HealthCare, told CBS News last month. “Even if this lettuce was implicated, it doesn’t mean that other produce is not implicated as well.” Â
The CDC previously said it can take as long as six weeks for federal and state officials to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak. There are several reasons cyclospora outbreaks can be hard to investigate and contain, said Dr. Juan Luis Marquez, medical director of the Washtenaw County and Livingston County health departments in Michigan
It can take weeks between when someone is exposed to the parasite and when they come down with symptoms; it’s harder to analyze the parasite in laboratories; and it’s a lot of work to interview everyone who is sick and clearly identify common exposures, said Marquez, an adjunct public health professor at the University of Michigan
Also, “there have been staffing cuts at all levels of public health — federal, local, state — so there are less rement
Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC. Outbreaks tend to occur most often in the late spring and summer
The heat-loving parasite infects the bowels and spreads through feces. The illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cyclospora cases are never linked to a specific food or other source
The worst year in the U.S. for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported nationally. This year has far surpassed that. Michigan alone has reported more than 12,000 cases — including two deaths. Adding in the other states that have reported cases, the national total stands at over 25,000
Of the more than 12,000 cases in Michigan, 193 patients had received hospital treatment as of July 30, according to local health officials. The two people who died had “significant underlying health conditions,” the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said
The FDA says it is tracking five separate ongoing cyclospora outbreaks. The 15-state outbreak is by far the largest. No products have been linked to the other outbreaks, including one that has sickened 115 people.Â
