Federal health officials are investigating a new outbreak involving the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora.
The outbreak included 72 people as of Wednesday.
The Food and Drug Administration has not yet identified which products are linked to the illnesses. Officials also have not said where the cases are located.
“This is an active investigation, and officials are working together to determine the specific cause of illnesses in this cluster,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in an email Thursday.
Federal officials earlier this week said they remained focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as the source of a separate, multistate outbreak. The company last week announced it was recalling iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico.
The outbreak, now the largest in American history, has millions of people second guessing their next meal. That includes the man in charge of a nationally-recognized food safety institute.
Brian Schaneberg, executive director of IIT’s Institute for Food Safety and Health, joined The Takeaway with Alex podcast to talk about what is safe to eat. He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration, have centered their investigation on certain types of bagged, cut or mixed lettuce.
“I still eat [lettuce] with the caveat that it’s…going to be more local at the farmers market and getting those things and washing those at home,” said Schaneberg.
He said most people won’t be cooking lettuce to 158 degrees Fahrenheit — a proven way to kill the intestinal parasite — so he recommended washing lettuce instead.
“If you do buy bagged lettuce of any form today, you should clean it again,” said Schaneberg. “Even…if it has one-wash, two-wash, three-wash [on the label], do it again.”
What we know about the outbreak so far
The FDA and CDC have yet to identify an exact source of the outbreak. Despite weeks of investigation, the FDA has found “no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora,” according to the agency website.
A previous positive test result for lettuce grown by Taylor Farms was found to be a false positive. Schaneberg said it’s common for false positives to occur.
“There’s always a process by which you go back in and reconfirm that test, especially with cyclospora,” said Schaneberg. “It’s one of the harder tests within the microbiology testing world.”
Taylor Farms de Mexico initiated a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce from central Mexico on July 17, including products that were sent to grocery stores and restaurants in more than a dozen states, including Illinois. In North Carolina, health officials have linked parsley and cilantro to outbreaks there.
Still, weeks into the outbreak, the lack of a cause “boggles all of our minds” in the food safety community, but Schaneberg has a hypothesis for the contamination source.
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“It’s got to be water,” said Schaneberg. “But right now there’s no data pointing to whether it is Mexico or not, because we don’t know what it was a week ago.”
Schaneberg said he believes the contaminated water is coming from washing source or irrigation source because the outbreak has infected thousands of people. He said cyclospora isn’t spread person to person, but people can spread it to contaminated surfaces like hands and food. While he doubted cyclospora can survive in a pool due to chlorine and dilution in the water, he said it can survive in ice.
When washing lettuce, Shaneberg said it’s important to be thorough.
“You have to get into those nooks and crannies,” said Schaneberg. “Then spin it down hard with a salad spinner.”
Schaneberg, who has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications and presentations, outlined the FDA’s process to find the source outbreak in the podcast episode. One delay regulators have to handle is the time it takes to get test results for the cyclospora parasite.
“Three to five days is typically what you’re dealing with in the live world of microbiology,” said Schaneberg.
While lettuces are being investigated as a potential source, and have been the source for previous cyclosporiasis outbreaks, officials urged anyone eating or preparing lettuce or salad greens in areas where cases have been reported to take added precautions.
That includes:
Purchase whole heads: Buy whole heads of lettuce rather than pre-washed, bagged lettuce or pre-mixed salad kits. Discard outer layers: Before preparation, throw away the outer two to three layers of leaves. Wash inner leaves: Thoroughly wash the remaining inner leaves under clean running water. Prioritize cooking: For any greens that can be cooked, cooking to a temperature of at least 158 F (70 C) is the safest option, as the parasite is resistant to routine chemical disinfection and washing alone cannot guarantee its removal.Other recommendations include:
Cook produce when possible: Heating food to 158 F (70 C) or higher kills cyclospora. Peel produce: Peeling is highly effective for food items with removable skin as the parasite sits on the outer surface. Wash all fresh produce: Wash under clean running water, even if you plan to peel it. “Pre-washed” does not guarantee safety and rewashing bagged lettuce is unlikely to remove cyclospora. While washing alone may not fully eliminate cyclospora, it enhances protection when combined with cooking or peeling.This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
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