Tag: Cyclospora

Record-setting cyclospora outbreak is over, U.S. health officials declare

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Rotting cabbage surrounded by eggshells and soil in a compost bin

The cyclospora food poisoning outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce is over, U.S. health officials said Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is no longer a risk of people getting sick with cyclosporiasis from this outbreak and is confident that all related iceberg lettuce is off the market. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that while the outbreak is over, it will continue its investigation of cyclospora infections linked to the iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico.

“FDA will continue to work with federal, state, and international partners to complete its investigation and will provide updates as they become available,” the agency said on Friday. Nearly 13,000 reported cyclospora cases were tied to the outbreak spanning 21 states, federal officials say. They represent the bulk of an unprecedented surge in the parasitic diarrheal illness this year. More than 570 people have been hospitalized and two died, according to the FDA and CDC, as of Friday. Even with the outbreak deemed over, several questions remain, including about its origin. The parasite is spread through human feces, and it still isn’t clear how sewage could have contaminated enough food to sicken so many people.

“This contamination can happen if produce is grown in soil or comes into contact with water that has been contaminated,” said Ellen Shumaker, director of outreach for a North Carolina State University food safety program, Safe Plates. Since May 1, the government has received reports of nearly 20,000 lab-confirmed cases, or more than 16 times the number reported during the same period last year. More than 6,100 suspected cases also have been reported. The worst previous year in the U.S. for infections was 2019, when about 4,700 illnesses were reported nationally. This year’s surge in cases was dominated by an outbreak in 21 states linked to iceberg lettuce.

But there are thousands of other cases that have not been linked to that outbreak. Michigan was the hardest-hit state, with the most reported cases and the two U.S. deaths tied to the outbreak. 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 illness, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli. Many cases are never linked to a specific food or other source. In this outbreak, investigators initially zeroed in on lettuce served at Taco Bell.

Federal officials subsequently focused on Taylor Farms as the source of the lettuce, and the company recalled iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico. The Taylor Farms recall involved thousands of packaged salad products combining iceberg lettuce with other vegetables. The products were shipped to major U.S. restaurant chains, including Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC. The FDA has ended its on-site inspections and sample collection at iceberg lettuce growers and the processing facility in Mexico, the agency said Friday.

Samples from the on-site inspections are pending analysis, the FDA said. The outbreak cast a spotlight on a worsening problem: U.S. regulators are conducting fewer international inspections to catch contaminated produce before it lands on American plates.

Source: Record-setting cyclospora outbreak is over, U.S. health officials declare – CBS News

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24

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New chip-based sensor could let consumers test food for contaminants at home

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Food safety concerns are becoming too-frequent headlines. Right now, it’s a cyclosporiasis outbreak possibly linked to tainted lettuce. But the nation has also dealt with E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria – a long list of threats. Consumers already know to thoroughly wash fresh fruits and vegetables. But is it enough? And how would you know? Many have wondered what’s next. Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas are exploring a quick, cost-effective way to test for food contaminants at home using technology most people already carry in their pockets: computer chips.

“We have re-engineered those devices to be able to have what is called a ‘single capture measurement,'” said Shalini Prasad, PhD, department head of bioengineering and a Cecil H. and Ida Green Professor in Systems Biology Science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at UTD. “Say, it’s a lettuce sample, or it’s a strawberry,” Prasad said. “And you take it, mush it with your hand, and drop it on the sensor. CBS News Texas “The sensor is engineered so that it can measure any of these 16 things. So, a panel of antibiotics, a panel of pesticides, a panel of bacteria, a panel of parasites, and a panel of fungi. It can do all of this.” The device, called READ – Rapid Electro Analytical Device – can detect contaminants in food and water in just a couple of minutes.

Prasad said the research grew out of her curiosity as a mother trying to better protect her two sons. “As a mom, you’re a problem solver, right? And you don’t know what’s coming at you at any given point of the day. But what is important is how do I make people’s lives easier, better, healthier, and more accessible,” she said. The technology is nimble, allowing researchers to tweak and respond to outbreaks as they happen. “That is the idea,” Prasad said, “because we don’t know what’s the next epidemic, and we cannot wait to have it all built.” The research team is preparing for pilot testing, with hopes of having the technology in consumer kitchens within the next year or so.

“What worries us most is that which we cannot see,” Prasad said. “It is the invisible that I am making visible through this technology. That is the hope. And that is the dream.”

Source: New chip-based sensor could let consumers test food for contaminants at home – CBS Texas

Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
Psalm 112:6

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Taylor Farms lettuce sample that tested positive for cyclospora was a false positive, FDA says

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Scientist with blue gloves handling lettuce leaf samples with tweezers in a laboratory

A sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms that had tested positive for cyclospora was a false positive, the Food and Drug Administration said Sunday. “Due to the complexity in detection of Cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive,” the FDA said. In the statement announcing the false positive, the FDA said that as of Sunday it had not found any “confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.”   Taylor Farms on Friday said it was “voluntarily removing” iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico after the lettuce had been linked to one of the largest outbreaks of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. in recent years.   

“While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely,” the company said Friday in a statement. Taylor Farms said Sunday in a statement after the false positive was announced that, “Our thoughts remain with everyone who has fallen ill in this outbreak. We are committed to working with public health authorities as the ongoing outbreak investigation continues.” On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified lettuce supplied to select Taco Bell restaurants as a source of the multistate outbreak, more than a month after cases first began to appear. The iceberg lettuce was distributed to Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, according to the CDC. Taco Bell said on Friday it had “completed removal of affected Taylor Farms lettuce from our restaurants.”

Walmart also announced over the weekend it had removed four Marketside bagged iceberg lettuce salad products from its stores in more than two dozen states, but added there was “no indication that products sold in our stores are affected by the current Cyclospora investigations.” The outbreak, first reported in May, has spread to 34 states and sickened more than 1,600 people, according to the CDC. However, the CDC’s tally lags behind state health departments, which have reported much larger numbers of cases. For instance, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported more than 5,000 confirmed cases as of Friday. No deaths have been reported.  Cyclosporiasis is a food- and waterborne illness caused by the cyclospora parasite, which causes long-lasting, watery and sometimes explosive diarrhea, according to public health experts.  Outbreaks typically occur in late spring and summer and have historically been linked to bagged salads, cilantro, basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions.

Source: Taylor Farms lettuce sample that tested positive for cyclospora was a false positive, FDA says – CBS Boston

With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:9

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FDA identifies Taco Bell lettuce as source of diarrhea…

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Three inspectors in safety vests and masks examining romaine lettuce and recording data

Federal health investigators officially linked the multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell, the Food and Drug Administration reported on Thursday. Lab results as of Monday confirmed over 1,600 cyclosporiasis cases reported since the beginning of May across 34 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness hospitalized dozens of patients but has not proved fatal.

Officials on Monday also reported over 5,100 suspected cyclosporiasis cases across the nation which have not been formally diagnosed. Cyclosporiasis occurs when individuals consume food or water infected with the microscopic Cyclospora parasite, which will infect the small intestine and cause watery diarrhea, bloating, nausea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Symptoms appear up to two weeks after a patient’s initial exposure to the parasite, according to the CDC. Health investigators specifically analyzed a group of 190 patients from across five states and found that over 90% reported eating lettuce at Taco Bell, according to the FDA. Despite over 30 states reporting cases, officials only warned against eating Taco Bell in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Michigan reported the most cases of any state, local health officials reporting more than 5,000 cases as of Friday. New York marked the second-highest case count, with nearly 400 cases reported as of Monday, according to state officials. Where is the lettuce coming from? The FDA tracers identified a specific lettuce supplier from Mexico that supplied shredded iceberg to the same Taco Bell locations where people got sick. Federal officials planned to work with the Mexican supplier to determine how much potentially contaminated lettuce remained on the market. It remains unclear whether the same lettuce also caused illnesses outside of the five confirmed states.

Previous U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreaks stemmed from contaminated produce, including raspberries, basil, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and leafy greens, according to the CDC. Several Democratic lawmakers blamed the outbreak on the Trump administration’s budget cuts. Beginning on July 1, 2025, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or FoodNet, a Trump administration collaboration between several federal and state health agencies, made testing for cyclospora optional. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was responsible for that change, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., wrote Wednesday. Trump officials removed cyclosporiasis from the CDC’s tracked pathogens when it reduced foodborne illness tracking requirements last year, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., wrote earlier this week.

Source: FDA identifies Taco Bell lettuce as source of diarrhea… | WORLD

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

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NYC man spent weeks suffering from cyclosporiasis: “My body would not allow me to eat food”

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man bowing down

There have been 517 reported cases of the parasitic infection cyclosporiasis across New York state since May, and nearly 400 of them are in New York City, health officials say. It comes as United States health officials investigate outbreaks across the country. “I was having a lot of pain” Chase Strangio, an attorney from Queens, says he spent weeks suffering from the illness. “Felt really lethargic, nauseous, had a low-grade fever, had diarrhea,” he said.

When he began experiencing these symptoms back in May, he thought he had a stomach virus, but as the days progressed, he didn’t see any improvements. “My body would not allow me to eat food, and it even reached the point where drinking water was challenging,” he said, “and I was having a lot of pain.” No one in Strangio’s family got sick, but many friends he had lunch with a week prior did.

“The common ingredient we were able to discern was either a lettuce or a cilantro,” he said. Research led Strangio to request a stool test, which came back positive for Cyclospora, the parasite which causes the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis. Strangio said he was put on an antibiotic, and he’s now feeling much better. Doctors stress handling produce properly Cyclosporiasis cases have been identified in 34 states since May 1.

In New York City alone, there are 374 cases. “This is three times the amount of our typical rate of Cyclospora infections,” City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet confirmed a specific source for this outbreak, but past outbreaks have been linked to various produce such as raspberries, leafy greens, onions, basil and cilantro.

“The actual parasite lives on the outside of those fruits and vegetables,” Martin said. “And so we’re working with our colleagues at the federal government and at the state to identify, is there one retailer or wholesaler upstream that is particularly causing this.” Mount Sinai South Nassau Chief of Infectious Diseases Dr. Aaron Glatt says it’s not about avoiding fruits and vegetables, but handling them properly.

“Cooking them or making sure that they’re washed well should be adequate,” he said. “If people are just going to eat junk food, that has its risks too … And I think having a well-balanced diet is something that’s very important.” Doctors also stress this is not spread from person to person. It can take up to two weeks for symptoms to appear, and the CDC says they can last longer without treatment. If you think you are infected, seek medical care.

Source: NYC man spent weeks suffering from cyclosporiasis: “My body would not allow me to eat food” – CBS New York

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What to know about cyclospora parasite and how to avoid it

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Toilet exploding with water and broken ceramic pieces flying in a tiled bathroom

Got a nasty stomach bug that won’t go away? It could be cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection that causes weeks of debilitating diarrhea, cramps and bloating. This infection tends to occur during the warm summer months, but several states are reporting increases in cases beyond what they would normally expect at this point in the year. Federal health officials say they are seeing a higher-than-expected number of cyclosporiasis cases spread across several states. They may not all stem from the same source. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have been investigating several clusters of cases in Illinois, New York City, New York State, Pennsylvania and Texas, which appear to be linked to Mexican-style restaurants, a grocery chain, and a catered event, according to an email sent by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to state and local partners that was obtained by CNN.

The FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation network is conducting traceback investigations on white and green onions, cucumbers and cilantro, in an effort to narrow down potential sources, the email said. The CDC says there’s no evidence at this point suggesting these earlier clusters are part of a multi-state outbreak. At least eight additional cyclosporiasis clusters have been identified in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. However, case interviews are still pending, and these investigations are still in their early stages, the CDC said. The agency plans to update cyclosporiasis website later this week. The largest of these clusters appears to be in Michigan. The state says it typically logs about 50 cases of cyclosporiasis annually. It has now seen nearly 1,000 cases since June 22, pointing to an outbreak with a common source. More than three dozen of these patients have been hospitalized, according to Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Since the beginning of the year, Ohio says, it has received reports of 177 cyclosporiasis cases, with 171 of those coming in June, mostly since June 20.

New York state says it’s seen 112 cases this year – outside of New York City – with 107 of those reported since May 1. Investigations are underway to nail down the causes but may be slow going. That’s because little is known about cyclospora compared with pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, said Dr. Jennifer McEntire, a microbiologist who is founder and CEO of Food Safety Strategies, which advises clients on dealing with cyclospora. “It’s very peculiar, and obviously, like this year, it’s rearing its head in a very ugly way,” she said.

‘Cyclospora is a weird one’

Cyclosporiasis, which is caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, is especially difficult to trace back to a single source, said Dr. Max Teplitski, who once led the Division of Food Safety at the US Department of Agriculture and is now chief science officer for the International Fresh Produce Association. Teplitski recently co-chaired an advisory committee tasked by the US Food and Drug Administration with digging into why cyclospora outbreaks have steadily been increasing in the United States in recent years. “Cyclospora is a weird one,” he said. With some foodborne pathogens, like E. coli and salmonella bacteria, scientists can sequence, or read, their DNA to match a strain that’s making people sick with a strain that’s contaminating food or water. This gene matching is how scientists often spot outbreaks of foodborne illness in the first place. A national network of surveillance labs called PulseNet constantly sequences the genes of bacteria that make people sick so they can compare the DNA fingerprints of cases in near-real time.

When the fingerprints match across multiple cases in different states, scientists know to look for a common source. But gene matching only works because the genetics of a particular strain of E. coli or salmonella change very little as they transmit from food to us or from person to person. The letters of their instructions read the same way each time, so they can be tracked pretty easily. It doesn’t work quite the same way for cyclospora, McEntire said. “For the bacterial pathogens, the technology is quite mature, and the organisms are really very, very simple. It’s like reading a children’s book versus reading “War and Peace” — cyclospora being the “War and Peace.” McEntire said. “They’re all letters of the alphabet, but they are not the same thing,” she said. Because these parasites have sex (more on that later) and swap pieces of their DNA to reproduce, their offspring share genes from their male and female parts, which means their genes look very different from one generation to the next, making the family tree harder to follow, Teplitski explained. Over the past five years or so, McEntire said scientists at the CDC have “done an incredible amount of work” so they can now use genotyping to roughly bucket people and identify those who have one “strain” of cyclospora compared to another. But she says the fidelity with that testing is not the same as with investigations of other types of foodborne pathogens.

CDC scientists are using genotyping to help track cyclospora clusters. But solving an outbreak still largely depends on shoe-leather detective work done by epidemiologists who follow up with each person confirmed to have a cyclospora infection. They ask a detailed series of questions about what the sick person ate and when. Because people aren’t great at remembering everything they might have had for breakfast a week ago, they may also analyze data from grocery receipts and credit card purchases to help fill in the gaps. It’s painstaking work. Typically, these questionnaires are focused on food. Teplitski says he hopes investigators are also looking at water sources like lakes and water parks. “We certainly hope that they go back and they ask their patients, ‘What about recreational activities? What about other types of exposure to well water?’ ” he said. “All of these are multiple sources of the same parasites.”

What causes cyclosporiasis?

Cyclosporiasis is caused by a single-celled parasite spread through human feces. People get it by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, usually when swimming or when eating raw produce. Produce that is hard to wash thoroughly, like berries and fresh herbs, is a common source, as are swimming pools, lakes, splash pads and water parks. Foods most frequently associated with outbreaks in the US and other countries since the mid-1990s include:

  • Raspberries: 12 outbreaks
  • Basil: 11 outbreaks
  • Salad mixes (including vegetable trays and coleslaw): 8 outbreaks
  • Cilantro: 6 outbreaks
  • Berry/fruit mixes: 6 outbreaks
  • Lettuce: 2 outbreaks
  • Snap peas: 2 outbreaks

Once someone swallows the oocytes, or the egg-like stage of the parasite, a plot worthy of an “Alien” movie plays out in the intestines. First, they differentiate into male and female forms, have sex and reproduce. (Yes, all this happens in your gut.) Their oocysts, or eggs, then burrow into the intestinal wall, where they destroy cells and are shed back into the environment when we poop. When the weather is warm, they grow and mature outside the body for several weeks before creating more spores that are ready to infect someone else. Because the spores need time to mature outside the body, people don’t typically pass the parasite to other people they live or work with. Transmission tends to happen more indirectly.

What are the symptoms of cyclosporiasis?

The symptoms of a cyclospora infection “are a little different than you sometimes see with Salmonella or E. coli,” said Dr. Rebecca Schein, an infectious disease expert at Michigan State University Health Care. Sometimes people run a fever, she said, but it’s not especially common. “It’s just more very watery diarrhea. More than three times a day and then feeling kind of bloated, full, uncomfortable,” Schein said. “Sort of like you just ate Thanksgiving dinner, but every day.” Even healthy people can see this stomach bug continue for weeks. “If you have a normal immune system, it will eventually go away, but it could take six weeks,” Schein said. The symptoms may come and go, too. People who have compromised immune systems could see their symptoms persist. In those cases, “The symptoms will not go away until you treat it,” Schein said.

How is cyclosporiasis diagnosed?

Normally, when doctors are looking for the cause of a stomach bug, they will check a patient’s stool with a multiplex test, a single lab test that looks for multiple pathogens at the same time. Cyclospora is not on those panels. “It can be easily missed if you don’t do the right test, and that’s kind of the one of the hard parts about this,” Schein said. Doctors have to order a particular kind of test that requires a special stain that turns the eggs of the parasite bright pink or orange so they can be seen under a microscope. The Texas Department of State Health Services posted a health advisory in May warning that because the eggs shed from the body inconsistently, doctors may need to do as many as three tests spaced 24 hours apart to make an accurate diagnosis.

How is cyclosporiasis treated?

Once the infection has been diagnosed, treatment is relatively straightforward, Schein said. The parasite is treated with a combination of antibiotics called trimethoprim-sulfa, which is sold under the brand names Bactrim and Septra. A course typically runs seven to 10 days, though people with reduced immunity may need to take it for longer. The reason an antibiotic works on a parasite, Schein said, is that it interferes with Cyclospora’s ability to use the vitamin folate to make energy. It works on some other types of parasites as well. If you’ve had diarrhea that’s gone on for longer than three to five days – or longer than two days if you live in an area near a known outbreak – it’s important to get tested, Schein said. “The recommendation is to treat people who have cyclosporiasis, because it can last so long, and it’s just uncomfortable, and it can … spread into the environment if we don’t treat it,” she said.

Can you get rid of cyclospora by washing your produce?

Researchers in Norway studied this question in 2021, contaminating blueberries and raspberries with three kinds of parasites: cyclospora, cryptosporidium and giardia. Then they washed the berries three ways. The first method involved putting the berries in a strainer and running them under plain tap water for one minute. The second involved filling a salad spinner with water and immersing the berries for one minute while stirring them by hand before draining and spinning them for 10 seconds. Lastly, they mixed one part vinegar with three parts of water in a bowl big enough to cover the berries and stirred by hand for one minute before rinsing and draining. They learned a few things. It was easier to clean the smooth blueberries compared with the bumpy and slightly fuzzy surface of the raspberries, a finding that helps explain why raspberries top the list of foods associated with outbreaks.

Another curious thing was that cyclospora seemed to be extra sticky. It was tougher to get its eggs off the raspberries than it was the Cryptosporidium and the Giardia. Finally, the vinegar water rinse got more of the parasites off the raspberries than rinsing them under plain water. It was a little bit more effective than the salad spinner method, but it wasn’t enough to make a significant difference in the results. The salad spinner and vinegar methods were equally good, getting most of the cyclospora eggs off, but even so, some were left on the fruit. However, it’s not clear whether the remnants would be enough to make anyone sick. Bottom line: Washing your produce is always a good practice for whatever nasties could be hitching a ride into your kitchen.

The FDA offers tips about handling and cleaning fresh produce:

Wash your hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing fresh produce. If the produce is damaged or bruised before eating or handling, cut away the damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating. Rinse produce before you peel it, so dirt and bacteria aren’t transferred from the knife onto the fruit or vegetable. Gently rub produce while holding under plain running water. There’s no need to use soap or a produce wash. Use a clean vegetable brush to scrub firm produce, such as melons and cucumbers. Dry produce with a clean cloth or paper towel to further reduce bacteria that may be present. Remove the outermost leaves of a head of lettuce or cabbage before using.

Source: What to know about cyclospora parasite and how to avoid it | CNN

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