Health officials are tracking another outbreak of the ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite as the disease runs rampant across the US.
The FDA said 72 people had been infected with cyclosporiasis, a disease transmitted by food or water contaminated with human feces, in a separate cluster than the one with thousands of suspected cases potentially linked to lettuce and Taco Bell.
The agency revealed the number of cases but gave no further details, including the location of the patients or the potential source of their sickness.
The FDA posted an announcement of its new investigation on its website Wednesday, as it is already in the thick of investigating a major cyclosporiasis outbreak. More than 11,000 suspected cases have been reported in 41 states.
However, as the FDA and CDC investigate the outbreak that began in May, they said they’ve identified cases potentially linked to Taylor Farms lettuce supplied to Taco Bell in nine states.
Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania are all also now suggested to be affected, alongside Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
CDC reporting of the outbreak has been bogged down by delays in reporting and discrepancies between federal data and state health department data, which is reporting more cases than CDC is.
It was initially suggested that shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms sold at Taco Bell and other retailers was the culprit, but tests returned a false positive.
Lettuce from Taylor Farms has been recalled, however, and yesterday the business temporarily shut its processing facility in Central Mexico linked to the cases.
Despite this, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr claimed on Tuesday that the outbreak was ‘under control.’
Health officials are now recommending people wash their hands and ‘any fresh produce’ thoroughly before preparing food.
As washing is not guaranteed to remove the parasite, they are also recommending cooking food to a temperature of at least 158F (70C) to kill the parasite.
The announcement of a new outbreak of cyclosporiasis suggests that the agency has identified a cluster of cases that are related to a common source.
It does not mean that the cases are unrelated to the main outbreak, but they may have been listed separately as they are believed to have been caused by a separate food, food safety expert Felicia Wu told the New York Times.
On its website, the agency says it is also tracking two other cyclosporiasis outbreaks – with 18 and 10 cases each – although it has also provided no further information on these.
Cyclosporiasis spreads when people eat food or drink water that has been contaminated with human feces.
It is ‘unlikely’ to spread directly from person-to-person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), because it takes one to two weeks for the parasite to become infectious after passing into the environment.
Overall, the CDC has recorded nearly 11,000 suspected or confirmed cases of the infection this year, the most since 2019 when there was an outbreak linked to basil.
Patients are reporting being sickened with stomach cramps. Nearly 11,000 people nationwide are suspected or confirmed to have a cyclosporiasis infection
No update was given for Taco Bell’s potential role in the outbreak, as the fast food chain’s lettuce supplier is Taylor Farms
It has confirmed 4,100 cases of the infection, and is investigating 7,400 others across 41 states. There have also been 308 hospitalizations, but no deaths reported.
Michigan is recording the most cases, at up to 2,100, followed by Illinois, Kentucky and Texas, all recording up to 160 cases.
In the major outbreak, the addition of four more states to the tally suggests the agency is beginning to connect cases in states, allowing them to home in on a potential source.
Caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora, it is a gastrointestinal illness causing symptoms including watery and explosive diarrhea, cramping and a fever.
Patients become sick within a week of infection, which can make it difficult to identify the source.
Individuals suffering from the parasite may also feel they are getting better, before symptoms suddenly become much worse again.
Patients infected in the major outbreak have told the Daily Mail that they were left going to the bathroom ‘constantly’ and were hospitalized by the parasite.
