Michigan’s cyclospora parasite outbreak has climbed to at least 992 confirmed cases since June 22, and health officials said on Wednesday they still had not found the source. At least 36 people have been hospitalized.
The number matters because Michigan usually sees about 50 cyclosporiasis cases in a full year, which means this outbreak is running at nearly 20 times the state’s normal pace. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said the department’s working hypothesis is that the illnesses are linked to contaminated produce, but she said that no specific produce, grower, supplier or type of produce had been identified as the source.
That uncertainty is now at the center of the investigation. Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite, and it usually spreads through food or water contaminated with feces. Health officials have said foodborne outbreaks have been tied before to imported fresh produce, including raspberries, basil, snow peas, mesclun lettuce and cilantro, but they have not connected this outbreak to any one item. The lack of a confirmed source leaves shoppers without a clear warning and investigators without the one clue that would normally narrow the recall chain.
The wider picture shows the illness is not confined to Michigan. In Ohio, 177 cases have been reported, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there had been 145 cases detected in 17 states since May 1, excluding Michigan. No deaths have been reported. The CDC said patients range in age from 5 through 86, and 61% of them are female.
For now, the most useful advice is the simplest one. The MDHHS spokesperson said anyone experiencing gastrointestinal illness, such as sudden and ongoing diarrhea, should contact their health care provider and their local health department. The case count has already pushed close to 1,000 in Michigan, and the next major step is still the same one officials have not yet completed: finding the source before more people are exposed.
