US says more than 1,400 infected by parasitic Cyclospora illness outbreak

A parasitic stomach illness caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis has spread across the United States, affecting thousands of people. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 308 cases requiring hospitalization across 41 states, with no fatalities reported to date. An additional 7,400 suspected cases remain under review, suggesting the total number of infections will likely increase significantly.

The illness typically manifests within a week of exposure through contaminated food or water, causing severe diarrhea that can persist for several weeks. Investigators have identified lettuce as a likely source of contamination, prompting Taylor Farms, a US produce company, to recall iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico on July 17.

Disputes have emerged regarding the outbreak's origin. Mexican Secretary of Health David Kershenobich stated that no evidence supports the theory that the outbreak originated in Guanajuato, the central Mexican state under investigation. The US Food and Drug Administration has issued conflicting statements, initially reporting a positive test for the parasite in Mexican lettuce samples before retracting the finding as a false positive, then subsequently reaffirming that supply chain investigations point to the Mexican facilities as the contamination source.