Five other cyclosporiasis clusters remain under investigation
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday declared the summer’s cyclosporiasis outbreak over, closing a federal investigation that traced 12,833 illnesses across 21 states to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in Mexico. The agency said the outbreak was the worst cyclosporiasis season in U.S. history.
As of Friday, the CDC reported a total of 19,595 cyclosporiasis cases across 49 states plus Washington, D.C., with 1,043 hospitalizations. The agency said thousands of additional cases remained awaiting confirmation. Two deaths were reported in Michigan, which the CDC identified as the location of the largest outbreak.
Taylor Farms removed the implicated lettuce from restaurants and stores in July. Taco Bell, the first main supplier identified, also pulled the lettuce from its stores. The CDC said it has identified the source of only the Taylor Farms outbreak and is still investigating several other case clusters of the parasitic illness nationwide. The Food and Drug Administration’s food-borne illness investigations page lists at least five other outbreaks under investigation.