August 30, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 29, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 636 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 23 states. Since the last update on August 28, 20 additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. Fifty-five percent (55%) of ill persons are female. Among 591 ill persons for whom information is available, 45 (8%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 24, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 5 to 6 weeks.

August 28, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 27, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 616 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 22 states. Since the last update on August 26, 6 additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. Fifty-six percent (56%) of ill persons are female. Among 591 ill persons for whom information is available, 45 (8%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 22, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 5 to 6 weeks.

August 26, 2013

Investigation Update

Because many of the more recent cases have been reported from Texas, CDC is collaborating with the Texas Department of Health and Human Services and local public health departments to investigate cases of cyclosporiasis reported among people in Texas.

Public health investigators have interviewed ill people in Texas about their exposures during the 2 weeks before they became ill. These interviews have covered what food they ate and where they ate and purchased their food. On the basis of these interviews, investigators have identified a group (cluster) of ill people who reported eating at the same restaurant. A detailed investigation of this cluster is ongoing. This investigation includes listing the different ingredients in the food that was eaten. People who did not get sick but who also ate meals at the same restaurant on the same days as ill people are also being interviewed. The preliminary analysis of results from this ongoing cluster investigation in Texas does not show a connection to salad mix, leafy greens, and salad mix components produced at Taylor Farms de Mexico.

From August 11-19, 2013, FDA with the cooperation of Taylor Farms de Mexico and Mexican government authorities conducted a thorough environmental assessment at the firm’s processing facility. The team also assessed five farms identified through traceback information from the outbreak investigation. The team found that conditions and practices at these facilities at the time of the assessment were in accordance with known food safety protocols. On August 25, 2013, Taylor Farms de Mexico, with FDA concurrenceExternal , resumed production and shipment of salad mix, leafy greens, and salad mix components to the United States. The firm had voluntarily ceased production and shipment of these products on August 9, 2013.

The findings in Texas differ from those from earlier investigations in Iowa and Nebraska. In those states investigators linked cyclosporiasis cases acquired after eating in one of multiple restaurants to eating a bagged salad mix from Taylor Farms de Mexico. It is not unusual to recognize outbreaks that happen in the same season but are due to different foods. As in 2013 and in years past, most cases and outbreaks of cyclosporiasis in the United States are detected in spring and summer months. Not all cases during the same time of year are necessarily caused by the same exposure.

For example, during a several-month period in 1997, there were three separate and unrelated outbreaks of cyclosporiasis caused by different fresh produce items from various sources. Strong evidence from epidemiologic investigations led to the recognition that the outbreaks were separate and unrelated. Although the investigation of cases in 2013 is ongoing, available evidence suggests that not all of the cases of cyclosporiasis in the various states are directly related to each other. CDC continues to work with state and local partners and FDA to investigate clusters of illness, food exposures, and sources of food items.

Laboratory Update

No laboratory tests are available yet that can distinguish different strains of the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. CDC and other institutions are working on developing new molecular tools that could distinguish one strain from another. These tools would help public health investigators more quickly determine whether cases of Cyclospora infection are linked. These tools could also be useful for linking a possible source of infection to illnesses in people.

Case Count Update

As of August 23, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 610 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 22 states. Since the last update, 1 additional ill person was reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. 55 percent of ill persons are female. Among 581 ill persons for whom information is available, 43 (7%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 17, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 5 to 6 weeks.

August 23, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 22, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 609 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 22 states. Since the last update, 8 additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. 56 percent of ill persons are female. Among 471 ill persons for whom information is available, 40 (9%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 16, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 5 to 6 weeks.

August 22, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 21, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 601 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 22 states. Since the last update, 3 additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. 55 percent of ill persons are female. Among 465 ill persons for whom information is available, 40 (9%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 15, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 5 to 6 weeks.

August 21, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 20, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 598 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 22 states. Since the last update, 5 additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. 55 percent of ill persons are female. Among 456 ill persons for whom information is available, 40 (9%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 14, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 5 to 6 weeks.

August 20, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 19, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 593 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 20 states. Since the last update, 7 additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. 55 percent of ill persons are female. Among 423 ill persons for whom information is available, 36 (9%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 13, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 5 to 6 weeks.

August 19, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 16, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 586 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 20 states. Since the last update, 10 additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. Fifty-five percent of ill persons are female. Among 440 ill persons for whom information is available, 36 (8%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 10, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 4 to 5 weeks.

August 16, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 15, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 576 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 19 states. Since the last update, 19 additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. Fifty-four percent of ill persons are female. Among 423 ill persons for whom information is available, 36 (9%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 9, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 4 to 5 weeks.

August 15, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 14, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 557 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 19 states. Since the last update, nine additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. Fifty-four percent of ill persons are female. Among 422 ill persons for whom information is available, 35 (8%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 6, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 4 to 5 weeks.

August 14, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 13, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 548 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 19 states. Since the last update, nine additional ill people were reported.

Ill persons range in age from less than one year to 92 years, with a median age of 51 years. Fifty-five percent of ill persons are female. Among 418 ill persons for whom information is available, 34 (8%) have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Illnesses that occurred after July 6, 2013, might not yet have been reported because of the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported. This could take up to 4 to 5 weeks.

August 13, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 12, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 539 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 19 states. Since the last update, four additional ill persons were reported. At least 32 people have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

August 12, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 9, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 535 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 18 states. Since the last update, 21 additional ill persons were reported. At least 32 people have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Investigation Update

On August 12, 2013, Taylor Farms de Mexico officially informed FDAExternal that, as of August 9, 2013, the company had voluntarily suspended production and shipment of any salad mix, leafy green, or salad mix components from its operations in Mexico to the United States. FDA reported that the firm has committed to not resume production and shipping of these products from its operations in Mexico without FDA’s approval.

August 8, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 7, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 504 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 17 states. Since the last update, 37 additional ill persons were reported. At least 30 people have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

August 7, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 6, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 467 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 16 states. Since the last update, one additional ill person was reported. At least 27 people have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

August 6, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 5, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 466 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 16 states. Since the last update, 41 additional ill persons were reported. At least 27 people have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

August 5, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 2, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 425 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 16 states. Since the last update, 25 additional ill persons were reported. At least 24 people have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

August 2, 2013

Case Count Update

As of August 1, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 400 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 17 states. Since the last update, two additional ill persons were reported. At least 22 people have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Investigation Update

On July 30, 2013, the states of Iowa and Nebraska announced that their analysis indicated that the outbreak in those states was linked to a salad mix. In follow-up to that announcement, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration provided an update on its investigationExternal .

According to FDA, a traceback investigation confirmed that the salad mix identified by Iowa and Nebraska as being linked to the outbreak of cyclosporiasis in those states was supplied to restaurants in those states by Taylor Farms de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V., a processor of foodservice salads—i.e., the salad mix associated with illness clusters at restaurants in these two states was from a common supplier (Taylor Farms de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V.). According to FDA, the restaurants in Iowa and Nebraska include Olive Garden and Red Lobster, both of which are owned by Darden Restaurants.

August 1, 2013

Case Count Update

As of July 31, 2013 (5pm EDT), a total of 398 ill persons with Cyclospora infection have been reported from 18 states. Since the last update, 20 additional ill persons were reported. At least 22 people have reported being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.