The ‘explosive’ diarrhea parasite cyclosporiasis ravaging the US has triggered thousands of new cases pushing the tally to a new record high, officials have said.
Some 6,707 laboratory-confirmed cases have now been reported across 45 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Tuesday.
However, officials warn the true toll could have surpassed 18,000, as more than 11,500 additional suspected cases are still being investigated. That was up 60 percent on last week’s tally.
More than 423 patients have also been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
The majority of cases are being reported in Michigan and Ohio, and local health departments in those states have reported 12,000 cases alone. Official figures tend to lag behind those from local authorities.
The tally represents a nationwide surge in cases and comes amid a major outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms that was sold at Taco Bell and other stores. In North Carolina, officials are investigating parsley and cilantro as a potential cause of cases in their state.
Despite the surge in cases, an FDA official has assured the public that the US food supply remains ‘safe.’
Speaking at the annual meeting of the International Association for Food Protection, acting deputy commissioner for food at the agency Donald Prater said: ‘The US food supply is safe.’
The cyclospora parasite causes cyclosporiasis, an infection that leads to diarrhea, severe cramping, nausea and vomiting and fatigue
He added, reports the New York Times: ‘However, there’s a couple of challenges. It will take a little time. But we do believe we’re taking action and we’re protecting public health.’
The surge comes as health officials scramble to find the source of the outbreak. The FDA initially named lettuce supplied by produce grower Taylor Farms as the culprit, leading the company to temporarily shut down the Central Mexico processing facility linked to the parasite.
But on July 19, the FDA said lettuce from Taylor Farms returned a false-positive result for the cyclospora parasite.
The named Taylor Farms facility produces five-pound bags of shredded iceberg lettuce sold to Taco Bell, Sysco and other large food distributors. It has since been shut down temporarily and its lettuce has been recalled.
The largest previously recorded outbreak was in 2019, and led to 4,703 domestic and internationally acquired cases. This was primarily linked to fresh basil imported from Mexico alongside other causes.
In the major outbreak, illnesses are being recorded in nine states. These are Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Those nine states represent 1,947 confirmed cases and 98 hospitalizations, per the latest CDC figures.
The FDA is tracking a total of six cyclosporiasis outbreaks in the nation at present.
It does not mean that the cases are unrelated to the main outbreak, health officials say, but they may have been listed separately because they have been linked to a separate food.
People become infected with cyclosporiasis by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the cyclospora parasite, most commonly through fresh produce such as leafy greens, herbs and berries.
In the US, most cases are typically linked to international travel or imported produce from regions where the parasite is common, including Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
Fresh produce can become contaminated if it is washed or irrigated with water contaminated by human sewage.
Previous outbreaks have been linked to bagged salad kits, cilantro, basil and other leafy greens.
In addition to lettuce, officials in North Carolina last week said parsley and cilantro were ‘showing up repeatedly’ in interviews with patients who had become ill. Officials, however, have not revealed where the patients ate before becoming sick or how many cases have been linked to each ingredient.
Cyclosporiasis typically causes explosive diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.
Unlike norovirus or routine food poisoning, however, symptoms often come and go rather than resolving after a few days.
Without treatment, experts say the illness can persist for weeks or repeatedly return.
Anyone with diarrhea lasting more than a few days should seek medical care and specifically ask for a cyclospora test, as it is not routinely ordered, Dr Swapnil Patel, vice chair of medicine at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, told the Daily Mail.
The test detects cyclospora DNA in stool samples and typically requires one to three samples.
Treatment for the infection consists of the antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, sold under the brand names Bactrim, Septra and Cotrim.
