Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce spreads to nine U.S. states
Health officials say a Cyclospora outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce from central Mexico has affected nine states, with more than 11,000 cases reported nationwide.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico has been confirmed in nine U.S. states, including Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, adding to earlier reports from Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. The parasite, which causes cyclosporiasis and severe diarrhoea, has been tracked in more than 11,000 cases across 41 states since mid-May. Michigan reports the highest number of infections, exceeding 8,100 cases.
The CDC warned consumers on Friday to avoid iceberg lettuce recalled by Taylor Farms, which voluntarily withdrew all lettuce sourced from central Mexico on July 17 as a precaution. Although the Food and Drug Administration initially announced that testing had found Cyclospora in the lettuce, the agency later retracted the statement, calling it a false positive.
Health experts noted that tracing Cyclospora sources is challenging because symptoms can appear weeks after ingestion, complicating efforts to identify common food exposures. "For Cyclospora, it's not unusual for the picture to become clearer a couple of months after the first illnesses occur," Wade Syers, a food-safety specialist at Michigan State University, said in an email.
The investigation is expected to proceed slowly as officials work to pinpoint the outbreak's origin.