FDA Finds Cyclospora at Sites Linked to Lettuce Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it found Cyclospora in two environmental samples from sites linked to a lettuce-associated outbreak that sickened 12,883 people in 21 states. The agency has not determined how the parasite contaminated the lettuce, and said its investigation is closed while comparisons of the samples’ genetic profiles with samples from ill people continue. One positive sample came from a tank holding outgoing wastewater at Taylor Farms de Mexico’s processing facility in central Mexico. The other was taken from sediment in a drainage ditch at an iceberg lettuce grower identified in the FDA’s traceback investigation. The findings add evidence connecting the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico, but do not establish a specific contamination pathway. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak over on September 11. The FDA reported at least 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. The last reported illness onset was August 17, though case totals can reflect delays in reporting and testing.