An outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic illness commonly associated with severe diarrhoea, has hospitalised at least 98 people in the US.
American health officials have said the outbreak is the largest reported in US history and has spread to nine states: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Linked to shredded lettuce from central Mexico supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico, the parasite has prompted a recall of the vegetable across 27 states. The withdrawn products have also been sold in the Mexican market.
According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) update, a total of 1,947 cases have been reported in the outbreak, although that number is expected to rise.
The CDC’s investigation has been beset by challenges, including difficulties testing for Cyclospora and identifying the source of the outbreak, as the parasite can sometimes cause symptoms only weeks after being ingested.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials briefly retracted a statement linking Taylor Farms’ lettuce to the outbreak after initially believing the results were a false positive.
Despite this, the FDA said its investigation continues to point to Taylor Farms and has confirmed that the recall remains in place.
Wade Syers, a food safety and security expert at Michigan State University, told the BBC: “For Cyclospora, it’s not unusual for the picture to become clearer a couple of months after the first illnesses occur,” he said in an email on Friday.
“Because these investigations are unfortunately more likely to be marathon investigations rather than a quick sprint.”
