Cyclosporiasis cases show ‘vulnerabilities’ in US food safety system, experts say

A customer shops for cilantro at a Walmart in Austin last week. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images View image in fullscreen A customer shops for cilantro at a Walmart in Austin last week. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Cyclosporiasis cases show ‘vulnerabilities’ in US food safety system, experts say US states and federal government tracking cases as outbreak comes amid cuts to public health funding An outbreak of cyclosporiasis highlights how US states and the federal government work together to track foodborne illnesses – and where they diverge. Experts said the enormous number of cases, potentially more than 11,000 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) count, is symptomatic of “vulnerabilities” in food safety systems in the US. Map of cases of cyclosporaiasis cases based off Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data and state health department data. Michigan has the most cases, with 7,171. Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are part of a nine-state outbreak. “What’s surprising to me is the magnitude of it, and how it highlights all these system vulnerabilities,” said Barbara Kowalcyk, an associate professor at George Washington University and director of the school’s Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security. Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal infection caused by cyclospora, a microscopic parasitic protozoa. The illness is characterized by weeks of watery, explosive, relapsing diarrhea. More than 300 people have been sent to the hospital with the disease, none have died. There are cyclospora outbreaks every summer, and public health workers even sometimes call it “cyclospora season”. Cyclospora is spread in food and water contaminated with human feces, the protozoa’s only known host. However, this year, numbers spiked. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating six outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, including one large nine-state outbreak. Only one source has been identified: iceberg lettuce sold by Taylor Farms de Mexico. View image in fullscreen A Taylor Farms complex in Doctor Mora, Mexico. Photograph: Daniel Becerril/Reuters Taylor Farms initiated a voluntary recall of lettuce sold to restaurants in 27 states grocery stores in 15 states. Taco Bell was linked to cases in nine states, and the FDA said the restaurant chain is no longer using the lettuce. Michigan has been the hardest hit in the outbreak. State officials there report more than 7,000 cases. One of the most confusing aspects of the outbreak has been how state and federal figures differ – a reflection of the way the US tracks foodborne illness. States hold authority over the health and welfare of residents, which makes public health outbreaks a state responsibility. They then must coordinate with federal officials, who in turn coordinate with multiple investigating agencies, depending on the type of product suspected. It all starts with a sick person. First, that pe