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Cyclosporiasis outbreak: What to know
Dr. Mike joins Mike & Karen to discuss the cause of Senator Graham's sudden passing and the Cyclosporiasis outbreak hitting more than half of U.S. states.
PENNSYLVANIA - A multi-state outbreak of a severe intestinal illness linked to iceberg lettuce has reached Pennsylvania, with at least two dozen cases of cyclosporiasis now confirmed across the state.
What we know:
Pennsylvania, along with Illinois, Kansas, and Oklahoma, were added to the list of affected states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. They join Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia for a total of nine states with reported cyclosporiasis cases from the outbreak.
The CDC says at least 1,947 people are currently sick across those states, with 24 cases reported in Pennsylvania.
Four more states linked to cyclosporiasis outbreak, reports say
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has added four additional states to the link of U.S. states that have been impacted by the outbreak of cyclosporiasis traced to iceberg lettuce from central Mexico.
Patients from the newly added states likely became ill around the same time as those identified in the initial group of affected states, but investigators only recently determined they were part of the same outbreak, according to a report by the Washington Post.
The backstory:
Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the microscopic parasite cyclospora. Symptoms can appear two to 14 days after exposure and may include frequent watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, cramping, nausea and a fever.
The FDA initially said a sample of the Taylor Farms’ lettuce did test positive for the parasite after the supplier pulled all iceberg lettuce from central Mexico heading to the United States. However, they later said samples of lettuce that were collected should be considered a false positive.
Cyclospora outbreak impacts Philly businesses as FDA finds lettuce test was false positive
The FDA announced a false positive in lettuce testing related to a Cyclospora outbreak, but concerns continue to affect businesses and consumer habits.
On July 17, Taylor Farms initiated a recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.
Dig deeper:
Unlike pathogens such as salmonella or E. coli, which can be sequenced and matched through national databases, cyclospora cannot be traced using those same methods. Scientists have to take genetic material from the organism and make synthetic copies of the DNA, which could lead to a false positive, as we saw in the case with Taylor Farms.
The CDC urged doctors to start testing for cyclospora to make sure people are treated properly. With the publicity that has been generated by the recent outbreak of cyclospora, experts say more people are likely seeking out testing.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Washington Post.