The FDA cyclospora outbreak list grew again Wednesday, when the Food and Drug Administration said it is investigating a new cluster of 72 illnesses tied to the foodborne parasite. The agency did not say where the cases were reported, what food may be involved, or whether the new inquiry overlaps with any previously known outbreak.
It is the sixth Cyclospora outbreak investigation the FDA has opened this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received more than 11,500 cyclosporiasis reports from 41 states, including 4,173 confirmed cases and more than 7,400 probable cases, according to CDC surveillance data. The CDC has reported 308 hospitalizations and no deaths.
That count is already far above the usual annual range. In recent years, the United States has typically reported between 2,000 and 5,000 Cyclospora cases in a full year, according to CDC data. This year’s figure has passed that range by July.
What is Cyclospora and how does it spread?
Cyclospora is a one-celled parasite associated with foodborne illness. It causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal infection marked by watery diarrhea, and investigators usually look for contaminated produce or other foods when cases appear in clusters.
The latest FDA notice says a traceback investigation is underway. A traceback is the paper-and-supply-chain work of following a suspected food from sick consumers back through distributors, processors, farms, or other points where contamination could have occurred. The FDA has not named a product in the new outbreak.
What outbreak has already been linked to lettuce?
Last week, the FDA and CDC linked one earlier Cyclospora outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms. Some of that lettuce was served at Taco Bell restaurants, with related cases identified in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Michigan has reported 7,664 cases and 106 hospitalizations as of July 23. The available reports do not say that all of Michigan’s cases came from the Taylor Farms-linked outbreak.
Taylor Farms issued a recall that removed iceberg lettuce distributed to 27 states. The recall notice did not give consumers a clear store-by-store or restaurant-by-restaurant map of where the lettuce went. The FDA said some was sold at Walmart. Ars Technica reported that media accounts also tied the recalled lettuce to Jack in the Box restaurants and to food distributors Sysco and US Foods. The lettuce was also sold in blends with romaine.
The FDA has not said whether the newly announced 72-case outbreak is connected to the Taylor Farms lettuce investigation or comes from a separate source.
How have federal officials described the response?
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told NBC News earlier this week that the national rise in cases was “under control,” according to the network. Kennedy leads the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes both the FDA and CDC.
Ars Technica reported that HHS did not immediately respond to its questions about the new outbreak. The New York Times has also reported that the FDA and CDC did not answer questions about the latest investigation.
The FDA and CDC are handling the Cyclospora investigations after budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration. The FDA also lists 10 other open foodborne outbreak investigations involving pathogens including Salmonella, E. coli, Clostridium botulinum, and Listeria monocytogenes.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.
