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FDA finds parasite linked to 'explosive diarrhea' outbreak that affected nearly 13,000 people in the US Parasite causing 'explosive diarrhea' infects more than 2,800 people in the US The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the regulatory agency of the United States, announced this Friday (2) that it identified the presence of the Cyclospora parasite on a lettuce farm in Mexico, pointed out as the origin of an outbreak that caused nearly 13,000 cases of infection in the United States. The parasite causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal disease characterized by intense watery diarrhea, with frequent and, in some cases, described as "explosive" evacuations by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The outbreak, which began to be investigated in June and was considered closed by American authorities in September, is the largest episode of foodborne illness ever recorded in the country. According to the FDA, inspectors found the parasite in two places on a property linked to Taylor Farms, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico: a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch used in the lettuce cultivation area. Although the results reinforce the link between the farm and the outbreak, the agency stated that it has not yet been possible to determine how the parasite contaminated the food. The investigation was closed after the discovery. Bacteria causing explosive diarrhea may have contaminated vegetables in the US CDC via AP Inspection occurred after more than seven years The identification of the parasite occurred more than six weeks after the FDA sent a team of investigators to the Mexican property. According to the Associated Press, this was the first inspection by the agency at the site in more than seven years, in a context of reduction in international food safety inspections after the Covid-19 pandemic. The FDA considers that the analysis results, associated with epidemiological data, provide robust evidence that the Taylor Farms unit is related to the outbreak. Despite this, investigators have not yet been able to establish how the contamination occurred or how the parasite spread through food in sufficient quantity to cause thousands of infections. In August, Mexican authorities had announced that their own analyses found no parasite in the lettuce or water at the facilities. At the same time, the FDA had to correct a laboratory result that had erroneously identified the presence of Cyclospora in a Taylor Farms lettuce sample collected at the border. What the company says In a statement, Taylor Farms stated that the contamination identified by the FDA is related to an independent producer that is no longer part of its supplier network. The company also informed that its facilities in central Mexico remain closed while additional food safety measures are implemented. According to Taylor Farms, new protocols are being developed in partnership with its research team and cover all stages of production, from cultivation to food processing. What is cyclosporiasis Cyclosporiasis is an infection caused by the protozoan Cyclospora cayetanensis, a microscopic parasite that infects the intestine after ingestion of contaminated food or water. According to the CDC, the main symptom is intense watery diarrhea, which can cause frequent and, in some cases, explosive evacuations. Loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal cramps, nausea, fatigue, and malaise may also occur. The disease is usually treated with antibiotics and is rarely fatal. Without treatment, however, symptoms can persist for weeks or even months, alternating periods of improvement and worsening. The parasite is eliminated through human feces and can contaminate food through contact with contaminated water. Although the FDA found the microorganism in wastewater and a drainage ditch on the Mexican property, the agency has not yet clarified how it reached the lettuces related to the outbreak.
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