The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms has expanded to nine states and now includes Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
The newly affected states are Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.
During the CDC’s investigation, scientists collected data from 1,947 people with cyclosporiasis (infection with Cyclospora), including 98 who were hospitalized, who reported eating at a Taco Bell restaurant in one of the nine states. People reported being sickened from June 22 to July 20.
“This increase in cases is, in part, due to the identification and addition of four new states that are now considered part of this outbreak,” the FDA said in an update today about the outbreak.
The ongoing outbreak
The outbreak started in the Midwest. Since its beginning on May 1, when the first cases were identified, Michigan has had 8,176 people with confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, and 160 people have been hospitalized, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Northwestern Ohio is reporting 2,508 cases, with 1,113 cases in Lucas County, says the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.
This increase in cases is, in part, due to the identification and addition of four new states that are now considered part of this outbreak.
On July 17, Taylor Farms recalled its iceberg lettuce from Walmart stores, Jack in the Box restaurants, and food service distributors in 27 states. Still, experts anticipate seeing more cyclosporiasis cases.
“We also expect to continue to see the number of confirmed cases rise, despite the recall, due to the fact that it can take as long as six weeks for CDC and state officials to determine if a sick person is part of this outbreak,” the FDA said in the update.
It can be challenging to investigate Cyclospora, because trace amounts of the parasite on fresh produce can cause infection. But the levels are sometimes too low for tests to detect it on the produce. This difficulty likely contributed to the false-positive on lettuce that the FDA reported this week.
Yesterday, the FDA announced a new Cyclospora outbreak infecting at least 72 people that is unrelated to the nine-state outbreak. The source of this second outbreak is unknown.
People should avoid eating recalled lettuce. Experts urge people who have symptoms of cyclosporiasis, such as watery diarrhea, nausea, cramping, and bloating, to seek medical care. There are treatments that can lessen the severity of the illness, and people can be included in the investigation if they receive a diagnosis.
