The ‘explosive’ parasite that is sickening thousands of people in the US may have spread to other fruits and vegetables, a former CDC director has warned.
Health officials have been scrambling to find a source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak after initially linking it to shredded lettuce sold at Taco Bell and other stores.
Now Dr. Robert Redfield has warned in a TV interview that other commonly consumed American products may also carry the parasite.
Speaking to NewsNation, he said: “They have taken this suspected lettuce off the market. We’re seeing some outbreaks related to that parsley and corianderespecially in North Carolina.”
‘The only way you get cyclosporiasis is by eating vegetables… contaminated with human feces.
“Lettuce is a big one [source of cyclosporiasis]coriander, parsley, [but] we’ve seen it with blueberries, raspberries and snow peas [too].’
He added: ‘Most of the times we have seen these outbreaks over the last decade they have been from imported products.’
Redfield, who led the CDC from 2018 to 2021, urged people to eat locally grown produce, saying there are currently no signs that local produce has been contaminated.
Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield warns that cyclospora outbreak may not be limited to lettuce as cases nationwide surpass 22,000
Rural, more than 22,000 people Cyclosporiasis has sickened 47 states and 500 have been hospitalized so far this year.
Yesterday, the CDC expanded the major outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked to Taylor Farms shredded lettuce, imported from Mexico, and sold at Taco Bell and other stores, to 15 states.
Health officials have been scrambling to find the cause after tests on Taylor Farms lettuce returned a false positive.
Redfield’s warning came after health officials in Michigan, the state at the center of the outbreak, linked a broad list of products to the outbreak.
In an alert released last month, state health officials, who are monitoring thousands of cases and have reported two deaths from the parasite, said they were investigating lettuce and leafy greens as the likely source of the infections.
But they also warned there raspberries, snow peas, green onions, cilantro and basil can also be connected.
In North Carolina, health officials have said their cyclosporiasis outbreak, which is separate from the main outbreak linked to Taco Bell, may have been caused by leafy greens, basil or cilantro.
Last month, frozen blueberries sold at Publix stores in Florida and Georgia were recalled after being linked to an E.coli outbreak that sickened 12 people and led to four hospitalizations. The blueberries are grown in Chile.
Blueberries may also be linked to the outbreak, Redfield said
In 1996, blueberries were also involved in an outbreak of cyclosporiasis in Canada, after health officials discovered that infections were caused by the consumption of a contaminated strawberry flan that also contained blueberries and raspberries. Researchers later linked it to contaminated raspberries in the flan imported from Guatemala.
Health officials are now also monitoring a separate salmonella outbreak linked to Chipotle, which has sickened 345 people in 27 states. It has been linked to jalapenos which were also imported to the US from Mexico.
Cyclospora, the parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, can settle in produce if it is irrigated with water that is also contaminated with human feces. In these cases, the parasite is very difficult to wash off.
Speaking NewsNationRedfield added, “I think it’s obviously best to be careful about the raw vegetables you eat now.
‘The safest thing to do is to buy locally grown vegetables, as this poses a real risk [for an infection] are these internationally imported vegetables at this time.
“You have to get those vegetables that are contaminated with human fecal material [to get infected]. It’s not something we see a lot in the US.”
He added: “Most of the time we’ve had these outbreaks [of cyclosporiasis] for the past decade they have come from imported products.
“So if people can support their local farmer and buy their produce locally, I think they’ll be completely safe.”
Cyclosporiasis causes explosive watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea and vomiting that can last for weeks and often returns just when you think you are better
Federal officials have identified six separate outbreaks of cyclosporiasis across the country.
The major outbreak has been linked to the following 15 states, up from nine last week. The newly added states are: Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire And North Carolina.
Nationally, the CDC has confirmed 6,707 laboratory-confirmed domestic cases, but the agency acknowledges that the actual number of infections is likely more than 22,000, with more than 11,500 additional cases awaiting investigation and confirmation.
On Monday, health officials in Michigan reported the first two deaths linked to the outbreak. Both individuals had underlying health conditions that made them vulnerable to severe dehydration due to the disease.
The outbreak has hit Michigan and Ohio the hardest, with Michigan alone reporting more than 11,200 cases and 193 hospitalizations in late July. At least 517 people have been hospitalized nationwide, with patients ranging in age from one to 98 years old.
Health officials are especially concerned because the symptoms of cyclosporiasis can be debilitating.
The infection causes frequent attacks of watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating, nausea and vomiting that can last for weeks and often return just when patients think they have recovered.
Unlike norovirus or routine food poisoning, the disease follows a relapsing course, meaning patients may feel better for a few days before symptoms return with a vengeance.
The microscopic parasite behind the disease, Cyclospora cayetanensis, spreads through food or water contaminated with human feces – usually when fresh produce is washed or irrigated with contaminated water.
Previous outbreaks have been linked to cilantro, basil, raspberries and bagged salad mixes.
A major challenge in containing the outbreak is that cyclospora has an incubation period of one to two weeks before symptoms appear, making it extremely difficult for patients to remember what they ate and for researchers to identify the source.
In Michigan, public health nurses have called hundreds of sick residents to compile their food histories, often relying on fast food coupons to identify common exposures.
The CDC notes that it can take up to six weeks for federal and state officials to determine whether a sick person is part of an outbreak.
Cyclosporiasis can be diagnosed using a routine test that detects the parasite’s DNA in the stool. The test detects cyclospora DNA in stool samples and typically requires one to three samples.
The infection can be effectively treated with antibiotics.
Redfield: ‘It’s actually susceptible to an antibiotic called Septra or Bactrim. So instead of taking two to four weeks to get better, you might get better in five to seven days.”
Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks or return repeatedly.
Health officials recommend that consumers wash all fresh produce thoroughly under running water, although washing alone may not eradicate the parasite. The only reliable way to kill cyclospora is to heat the produce to at least 158 degrees F.
Until the source is fully contained, experts expect the number of cases to continue to rise.
