Could it be the season of explosive diarrhea? Recalled lettuce is off shelves, but cyclospora cases keep rising

The recalled iceberg lettuce blamed for the majority of a nationwide parasite outbreak should no longer be in stores or restaurants, federal health officials say, yet infections continue.

The best-by dates on the recalled Taylor Farms lettuce have passed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But the investigation remains open, and more illnesses are being tallied.

As of Aug. 27, 11,458 people in 20 states had been sickened by iceberg lettuce, according to the CDC. Of those, 495 were hospitalized and two died. Three states were added in the most recent update.

Officials have identified lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico as the main source of those illnesses, which involve an intestinal parasite called Cyclospora.

However, at least three other ongoing outbreaks remain under investigation, and the number of cases is still rising, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Every year, the CDC tracks every cyclosporiasis case reported nationwide during the parasite’s May-through-August season, whatever the source.

The total count had reached 17,180 laboratory-confirmed illnesses as of Aug. 24 across 48 states and Washington, D.C.

More than 900 people have been hospitalized nationwide.

These higher totals include Cyclospora cases acquired in the U.S. from all sources, not just those linked to the lettuce outbreak. For comparison, 1,180 cases were reported during the same period last year.

Another 11,844 reports are still in limbo.

Those cases either have not been confirmed by a lab or need more investigation to determine whether the infections were acquired in the United States, the CDC said.

Both tallies also lag behind real life. It can take roughly six weeks from a person’s first symptom until case information reaches the CDC, so the most recent illnesses are not yet reflected in either figure.

There are likely many more cases that were not reported to doctors.

Symptoms of cyclosporiasis usually surface about a week after someone eats contaminated food, though they can appear anywhere from two days to two weeks or more afterward.

They include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, cramping, bloating, gas, nausea and fatigue. Left untreated, symptoms can drag on for a month or longer.

Health officials also urge anyone who gets sick to pick up the phone when state or local health departments call.

Those interviews trace what patients ate in the two weeks before illness and help crack open stalled investigations.

Who’s behind this story?

Gaby Clark

MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news.

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Andrew Zinin

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