Cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to recalled lettuce expands to 15 states

Aug. 5 (UPI) — An outbreak of cyclosporiasis cases tied to recalled iceberg lettuce has now been expanded to 15 states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

While cyclosporiasis has been confirmed or suspected in 47 states, these cases are ones that have been connected to shredded iceberg lettuce that was sold at restaurants including Taco Bell and some grocery stores. That outbreak, which has been the largest one and is centered in Michigan, was traced to lettuce sourced by Taylor Farms in central Mexico.

Taylor Farms de Mexico announced July 17 that it was voluntarily recalling all iceberg lettuce from that area. This included shredded lettuce used in Taco Bell products and in salad kits sold in some grocery stores. Taco Bell also said it was removing shredded lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms in affected states.

On July 24, that outbreak affected people in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. On Wednesday, the FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said cases in Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina are also considered part of that outbreak.

This increases the number of cases linked to the Taylor Farms outbreak from 2,000 on July 24 to at least 6,358 Wednesday.

“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 CDC said.

Lab testing by the CDC showed that cases in those states were probably caused by the same strain of the Cyclospora parasite, CNN reported. Many of the cases likely started before the recall.

“We are just counting people who were already sick,” Bill Marler, a Seattle-based attorney and food safety advocate, told CNN. “Now comes the linking to Taylor Farms or other products.”

The CDC said there have been more than 10,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis throughout 47 states between May 1 and Aug. 4. There are thousands more suspected cases, including 11,508 cases in Michigan alone, the state’s health department said Tuesday. That state also has the only two confirmed deaths from the illness, which is not usually fatal.

Cyclosporiasis, caused by the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite, spreads through food or water contaminated by feces from an infected person.

The most well-known symptom is sudden, watery diarrhea. Other symptoms include vomiting, nausea, severe stomach cramps, loss of appetite and fatigue. It can take up to two weeks after eating contaminated food for symptoms to show.