A Houston cyclospora outbreak is linked to a few gatherings in the Fort Bend/Harris county area, according to health officials. No case count numbers or illness onset dates were provided in this update. Dr. Ericka Brown, Deputy Local Health Authority for Harris County Public Health said that cyclospora infections are typically transmitted via raw fruits and vegetables. This infection cannot be passed person-to-person, because the oocyst must mature in the environment after it is expelled in feces. She said, "Cyclospora is actually a normal seasonal bug that we see ... around April of May and last through about August." Until 2016, most cyclospora cases were associated with travel to tropical areas, where this parasites is endemic. Officials are investigating to see whether … [Read more...]
New E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak on FDA CORE Outbreak Table
A new E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has been listed on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table, joining six other outbreaks that are currently being investigated. Four of the seven outbreaks have not been linked to any product. The new E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has sickened at least 11 people. The FDA has established traceback but there is no recall, on-site inspection, or sample collection and analysis. We do not know there the ill persons live, the patient age range, or if anyone has been hospitalized. In the first Cyclospora outbreak investigation, the case count has increased from 105 to 112. In that outbreak, sample collection and analysis has begun. In the second cyclospora outbreak, the FDA has initiated onside inspection along with sample collection and analysis. The … [Read more...]
New Cyclospora Outbreak Identified on FDA’s CORE Table
A new Cyclospora outbreak has been identified on the FDA's CORE Outbreak Investigation Table. This outbreak is added to five other active food poisoning outbreaks that are currently being investigated by the FDA. The new cyclospora outbreak, in a not yet identified product, has sickened at least 105 people. We do not know where those patients live, illness onset dates, or the patient age range. Sample collection and analysis has started. There is another cyclospora outbreak on the Table, with at least 37 people sick. That outbreak is also unsolved. Traceback has been initiated. There are two Salmonella outbreaks that are being investigated. The first is a Salmonella Paratyphi B var. L(+) tartrate+ outbreak that has sickened at least 34 people. Traceback has been initiated, an … [Read more...]
Secret 2022 Cyclospora Outbreak in Florida Sickened 161
In the Center for Disease Control's weekly Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) for the week of July 7, 2023, a cyclospora outbreak "partially attributable" to a Caesar salad kit was revealed. This secret 2022 cyclospora outbreak sickened at least 161 people in the state of Florida. The number of cyclospora cases in the United States has been increasing dramatically since 2016. In that year, there were 537 U.S. acquired cases, which increased to 1194 in 2017, to 3519 in 2018. In 2019, there were 4703 cyclosporiasis cases that were acquired in the United States. The parasite has been found on domestically grown produce. In 2022, the Florida Department of Health required that all county public health personnel complete the CDC Cyclosporiasis National Hypothesis Generating … [Read more...]
Nationwide Cyclospora Outbreak Grows to 210 Sick
The nationwide cyclospora outbreak has grown to include 210 patients and thirty hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Patients live in 22 states. The case count by state is: Arizona (31-40), Georgia (21-30), Texas (21-30), New York (21-30), Alabama (11-20), South Carolina (11-20), Colorado (11-20), Virginia (6-10), North Carolina (6-10), Florida (1-5), California (1-5), Connecticut (1-5) Michigan (1-5), New Jersey (1-5), Illinois (1-5), Pennsylvania (1-5), Tennessee (1-5), Wyoming (1-5), Maryland (1-5), Minnesota (1-5), Nebraska (1-5), and West Virginia (1-5). These ranges, instead of absolute numbers, are used because the case counts may not match what is listed in the Nationally Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System because the … [Read more...]
FDA CORE Table Updated With Info About Cyclospora Outbreak
The FDA CORE Table has been updated with new information about one of the Cyclospora outbreaks and about the Salmonella Paratyphi outbreak. There are currently five outbreak investigations that are active on the table. The cyclospora outbreak that has sickened at least 20 people is over and the investigation into the outbreak has ended. Based on epidemiological investigations conducted by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and state and local partners, the government has determined that imported broccoli was contaminated with the parasite. All samples that were analyzed were negative for cyclospora, so investigators were not able to confirm a specific type or producer of broccoli as the source of the outbreak. For the other outbreak of cyclospora, the case count has … [Read more...]
CDC Reports on Domestically Acquired Cyclospora Cases
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting an update on the domestically acquired cyclospora outbreak with illness onset on or after April 2023. In the past few years there have been large cyclospora outbreaks in the United States during the summer months. People usually get sick by eating contaminated fresh produce. Outbreak Numbers "Domestically acquired" is an important distinction, since it used to be that people contracted this parasite when they traveled outside the United States to tropical regions, and ate contaminated produce. That is no longer the case, as of 2019. Last year there were at least 1,129 cases of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. There are at least 97 people sick in 16 states. Sixteen people have been hospitalized. The case count by state … [Read more...]
Tacos del GNAR Cyclospora Outbreak Sickens 45 in Colorado
A Tacos del GNAR cyclospora outbreak has sickened at least 45 people in Colorado, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Tacos del GNAR is a gourmet taco shop that serves unusual tacos. As of June 15, 2023, there are 62 cases of cyclospora reported in that state. Colorado averages 63 cases a year. No one has been hospitalized as a result of this outbreak. All 45 people likely ate at Tacos del GNAR, located at 630 Sherman Street in Ridgway, Colorado, before they got sick. The patients said they ate there since May 1, 2023. The restaurant is partnering with the health department in all aspects of the investigation. Tacos del GNAR got rid of all their produce when they were told about the outbreak. Anyone who ate at Tacos del GNAR since May 1, … [Read more...]
Cyclospora Outbreak in Georgia Reported; No Case Count
A cyclospora outbreak in Georgia has been reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District. There is no information about case counts, illness onset dates, if anyone has been hospitalized, or possible causes. Investigators do say that the investigation is ongoing and they expect the number of cases to increase. Every summer in the United States for the past few years, there has been at least one cyclospora outbreak. The parasite is endemic to tropical regions, and cases used to be only from people who traveled to those areas. But now cyclospora outbreaks have been linked to produce grown in the United States. Last year, there were more than 1,000 cyclospora illnesses in this country. The outbreak was not solved. The cyclospora oocyst uses the human … [Read more...]
Do We Care About Cyclospora Anymore?
For the fifth straight year, more than 1,000 Americans developed cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection, from food sold, and some of it grown, in the U.S. Decades ago, these Cyclospora infections, which are characterized by frequent bouts of explosive diarrhea, were associated with travel to underdeveloped countries with tropical or subtropical climates. But the sharp rise of non-travel-related (NTR) illnesses since 2013 gave birth to a Cyclospora season in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks the number of NTR Cyclospora cases reported each season, which runs from May to September, and publishes monthly updates. Here's what those annual totals look like over the last 10 years: Humans are the only known reservoirs for Cyclospora. So when people … [Read more...]
