Cyclospora outbreaks causing diarrhea in US expected to continue through August

Cyclospora cayetanensis is a unicellular parasite that causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. Photograph: CDC View image in fullscreen Cyclospora cayetanensis is a unicellular parasite that causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. Photograph: CDC Cyclospora outbreaks causing diarrhea in US expected to continue through August Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they are scouring food supply chain for culprit, which may be lettuce What is cyclosporiasis, the parasitic illness causing ‘explosive’ diarrhea? Federal health officials said they expect the outbreaks of cyclospora – a parasite that causes watery, explosive diarrhea – across the US to continue through August as they scour the food supply chain for the culprit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified 1,645 lab-confirmed cases of the parasite; reported that 145 people have been hospitalized; and reported that they have a backlog of 5,100 cases that require more analysis, including interviews. “The true number of infections is almost certainly higher, because many people with mild illness recover,” said Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the CDC’s division of foodborne, waterborne, and environmental diseases, said at a media briefing Tuesday. “We’re seeing an unusually high number of cyclosporiasis cases this summer.” Health officials said outbreaks in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky are linked, though they could not yet identify the source of the outbreak. On Monday, officials in Michigan warned the public that lettuce was a “potential source” of the outbreak, but that the investigation continued. Federal and state officials are investigating whether lettuce at Taco Bell locations in Michigan may be linked to the outbreak, according to the Washington Post . State officials have been reporting much higher numbers of people sickened during the outbreak than the CDC are, likely due to reporting delays. On Monday, officials in Michigan said more than 2,800 people had been sickened in the outbreak. Cyclosporiasis is a parasitic infection caused by the single-cell protozoa cyclospora. The microbe is typically transmitted through water or food contaminated with feces. It is most common during warm weather months, from May to August. The parasite is difficult to track because it has a long incubation period – a person may be infected anywhere from days to weeks before symptoms begin. Diagnosis and reporting takes weeks more. As a result, patients are often asked to recall what they ate six to eight weeks prior. Past outbreaks have been linked to bagged salads, herbs, raspberries and lettuces. Experts believe prevalence of the condition may be increasing due to climate change , as more warm days allow the microbe to thrive. Federal and state officials have warned Americans to thoroughly wash fresh produce or, ideally, cook it. “Cyclospora remains a challenging agent,” said Donald Prater, the FDA’s acting deputy commissi