President Trump’s second term has been marked by successes but also several emergencies and other issues he likely didn’t anticipate.
One of the most recent emergencies is an outbreak of cyclospora that was linked to lettuce, much of which has already been pulled off the market.
But now, there’s a new outbreak of Cyclospora, the parasite that can cause severe gastrointestinal illness, including intense diarrhea, under investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has not been linked to the previously recalled lettuce.
The latest outbreak, which has sickened 72 people, was added to the FDA’s list of active foodborne illness investigations on Wednesday.
The source of the latest outbreak has not yet been identified, though the FDA said it is conducting traceback investigations to determine where the contamination originated.
The agency currently has six active Cyclospora outbreak investigations.
Of those, only the outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce—which has resulted in more than 11,000 confirmed or suspected cases nationwide—has been traced to a specific source.
Two other outbreaks, involving two and eight illnesses, respectively, have been closed, Nexstar reported.
Cases of cyclosporiasis, the illness caused by Cyclospora infection, are most commonly reported between May and August.
Although infections can occur through contaminated food or water while traveling abroad, domestic cases are more frequently associated with fresh produce.
For example, an outbreak that sickened at least 69 people last year was traced to contaminated parsley.
Sources for outbreaks aren’t always easily identified, however.
Investigations involving Cyclospora outbreaks “take a significant amount of time,” Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, said earlier this month.
Symptoms can take anywhere from two days to two weeks to appear after exposure, making the parasite especially challenging to trace.
Unlike many other foodborne pathogens, Cyclospora cannot be analyzed using whole genome sequencing, a technique that examines an organism’s DNA to help identify the source of an outbreak.
Instead, investigators rely on targeted genotyping, which Biggerstaff said is “useful for detection but not as fast and precise as whole genome sequencing” when linking illnesses to a specific food product.
In the largest ongoing Cyclospora outbreak, the FDA continues to focus its investigation on Taylor Farms-branded iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, despite a false-positive test result reported over the weekend.
At least five states have been directly affected by the outbreak, although the recalled products were distributed to dozens of states.
As of Wednesday, federal health officials said more than 4,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis across 41 states have been linked to the outbreak.
An additional 7,400 suspected cases that have not yet been confirmed through laboratory testing may also be associated with the contamination, Nexstar noted.
Cases of cyclosporiasis are often underreported because many infected people experience mild or no symptoms and may not seek medical care.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, standard stool tests typically do not detect the Cyclospora parasite, making infections more difficult to diagnose. The illness is also unlikely to spread from person to person, said the outlet.
To reduce the risk of infection, health experts recommend thoroughly washing fresh produce before eating, cutting, or cooking it.
Cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables should be refrigerated promptly, and any damaged or bruised portions of produce should be trimmed away before use, the outlet noted further.
Regarding the initial Cyclospora outbreak related to tainted lettuce, the CDC said confirmed infections have been identified in 34 states, with several separate investigations underway.
A major outbreak centered in Michigan and Ohio has now been epidemiologically linked to cases in West Virginia and Kentucky, suggesting those infections may share a common source.
Federal health officials say the number of confirmed cases is already more than six times higher than it was at this point last year.
