New cyclospora outbreak not linked to lettuce, FDA says
Federal officials are investigating a new cyclospora outbreak that has sickened 72 people and is not linked to recalled lettuce, The Hill and AP News report. The FDA has not named a product or disclosed where cases are located, keeping the source of this cluster unknown.
Key Takeaways
- A new cyclospora outbreak with 72 illnesses is under FDA investigation, separate from the Midwest lettuce cluster.
- Officials have not identified a linked food product or named where the new cases are located.
- A larger multistate outbreak remains tied to Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce from central Mexico.
- Cyclospora spreads via contaminated produce and can cause explosive diarrhea; soap and water beat hand sanitizer.
What Is Known About the New Cyclospora Outbreak?
According to AP News, federal health officials are probing a fresh outbreak of the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. As of Wednesday, that investigation counted 72 sick people.
The Food and Drug Administration has not yet identified which products are linked to the illnesses. Officials also have not said where the cases are located. The Hill reports the agency is treating this as another cyclospora outbreak not linked to lettuce.
That leaves an open food-safety mystery for readers following True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries coverage of unexplained public-health clusters.
How Is This Different From the Lettuce Outbreak?
Federal officials earlier this week said they remained focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as the source of a separate, multistate outbreak. The company last week announced it was recalling iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico, AP News reported.
The Atlantic notes the Midwest cluster was tied to contaminated iceberg lettuce produced at a farm in Mexico later linked to Taylor Farms and shipped to Taco Bell locations in five states. More than 1,600 people who tested positive in that five-state outbreak reported eating Taco Bell, according to the FDA website cited by The Atlantic.
FDA officials told reporters they have investigated five cyclosporiasis clusters across the United States since May, three of which are over. The agency has not publicly explained where all clusters have been, which ones are finished, or which foods caused each outbreak, The Atlantic reported.
Why Does Cyclospora Keep Causing Confusion?
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food after contact with human feces, most often when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. Once ingested, it causes intestinal illness marked by frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements, the CDC says via AP News.
Communication around the larger response has been rocky. The Atlantic reported the FDA posted, then walked back, a finding of cyclospora on Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce after a reexamination called the earlier result a false positive. Regulators still say epidemiological evidence points to the recalled lettuce for that outbreak.
Elevated cyclosporiasis elsewhere has not been publicly linked to iceberg lettuce, Taylor Farms, or Taco Bell. North Carolina, for example, reported an 83 percent spike over one week and 561 cases since May, with state officials saying the rise does not appear associated with the Taco Bell-linked outbreak.
What Should Consumers Do Right Now?
Wash hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and before handling food. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not kill cyclospora, but soap and water are highly effective, federal guidance cited by AP News says.
Until the FDA names a product for the new cyclospora outbreak, the practical takeaway is caution without panic: follow official recall notices for Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce tied to the separate investigation, and watch for updates as traceback continues on the unidentified 72-case cluster.