US declares end of largest recorded cyclosporiasis outbreak

US health agencies have declared the country’s largest recorded cyclosporiasis outbreak over after identifying and removing contaminated iceberg lettuce from the market. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 12,883 cases tied to the event, which sickened people across 21 states and resulted in 570 hospitalisations and two deaths. Federal investigators traced the contaminated lettuce to Taylor Farms de Mexico and the company recalled all iceberg lettuce from the implicated region on July 17. The outbreak first drew attention after illnesses were associated with lettuce served at Taco Bell, but the traceback later linked the problem to the broader Taylor Farms supply chain, which distributes to restaurants and retailers nationwide. Symptoms of cyclosporiasis typically appear about a week after exposure but can range from two days to two weeks; the illness usually causes frequent watery diarrhoea and can include loss of appetite, weight loss, cramps, bloating, nausea and extreme fatigue. At the outbreak’s peak, authorities reported more than 1,000 infections in a single day; by August, reported infections had dropped to under two per day on average. Officials say the FDA has completed on-site inspections and collected samples at iceberg lettuce farms and a processing facility in Mexico, though laboratory analysis of those samples remains pending. The agency said it will continue to work with state and federal counterparts in Mexico as the investigation proceeds. Public-health authorities also noted the outbreak occurred amid a nationwide surge in cyclosporiasis: since May 1 nearly 20,000 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported in the US, more than 16 times the number recorded over the same period last year. The episode has prompted renewed scrutiny of food-safety oversight, including a decline in international FDA inspections and delays to traceability rules designed for high-risk foods.