CDC confirms 358 Cyclospora cases across 26 states in US this year

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed that the country has seen nearly 358 cases of cyclospora infections across 26 states this year.

CDC said that most of the cases experienced the onset of symptoms on or after 1 May and that none of the cases occurred due to international travels. It linked clusters of the illness to restaurants or events in Texas, Wisconsin and Georgia.

The centre had previously linked the outbreak to coriander (cilantro) grown in and imported from Puebla, Mexico.

FDA had said that inspections by American and Mexican public health investigators had found fecal contamination in some fields and processing and packing facilities.

FDA had said in a statement: "Conditions observed at multiple such firms in the state of Puebla included human faeces and toilet paper found in growing fields and around facilities, inadequately maintained and supplied toilet and hand washing facilities or a complete lack of toilet and hand washing facilities, food-contact surfaces, visibly dirty and not washed, and water used for purposes such as washing cilantro vulnerable to contamination from sewage / septic systems."

Cyclospora is described by FDA as a human-specific protozoan parasite that is capable of causing a prolonged and severe diarrheal illness known as cyclosporiasis.

The most common way of getting infected is by consuming food or water contaminated with feces.

CDC is currently carrying out cluster investigation in Texas and Georgia.

---

Image: The center had previously linked the outbreak to cilantro grown in and imported from Puebla, Mexico. Photo: courtesy of Thamizhpparithi Maari.