Cyclospora found at Mexican farm linked to lettuce outbreak, FDA says
Announcement from US officials comes after CDC declared end to outbreak that infected nearly 13,000 people The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday its inspectors had detected cyclospora at the Mexican farm blamed for the largest foodborne illness outbreak of the parasite in US history. FDA inspectors said Friday they found cyclospora in two places: a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has detected cyclospora at a Mexican farm linked to the largest foodborne illness outbreak of the parasite in US history. The outbreak, which infected nearly 13,000 people across 21 states, led to 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. The FDA's announcement comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared an end to the outbreak, which spanned more than six weeks.
The agency found cyclospora in two locations at the farm: a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch used for lettuce cultivation. However, Mexico's food safety authority did not detect the parasite in the lettuce or water at the facility. The FDA's findings are based on strong epidemiological data, despite a faulty test result that had previously incorrectly identified cyclospora in a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms.
Taylor Farms has attributed the contamination to an independent grower no longer part of their supplier program. The parasite causes watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, bloating, and increased digestive gas.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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