Michigan health officials announced Wednesday that the state has recorded 7,171 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, a jump of 600 cases from the previous day’s count. The intestinal illness has put 102 people in the hospital across the state, though no fatalities have been reported, according to the state health department.
The outbreak extends well beyond Michigan’s borders. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that 4,173 people in 41 states have tested positive for the parasite, with 308 of those individuals requiring hospitalization.
Federal health officials also noted they are aware of at least 7,400 additional cases flagged by state and local health departments that have not yet been confirmed through laboratory testing and are still under investigation. Michigan and Ohio account for a large portion of those unconfirmed cases.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with feces. The infection is most commonly linked to raw fruits and vegetables.
The CDC has connected the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in certain states. Meanwhile, U.S. health officials are continuing to investigate a separate outbreak involving iceberg lettuce in five states.
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that its conclusion linking California-based supplier Taylor Farms — which grows lettuce in central Mexico — to the outbreak has not changed. The agency cited traceback investigations and epidemiological data to support that position, even after a border sample that initially tested positive for Cyclospora was later determined to be a false positive.
Mexico’s Health Minister David Kershenobich pushed back on Tuesday, stating there is no evidence at this point that lettuce from Mexico was responsible for the outbreak.
Health experts note that tracking down the source of foodborne illness outbreaks tied to fresh produce is especially challenging. Thomas Lew, an assistant clinical professor of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, explained the difficulty: “The short shelf life of fresh produce means that by the time an outbreak is traced to a supplier, it may have already been consumed — adding to the difficulty in testing.”
