Federal health officials are investigating a new cyclospora outbreak that had 72 cases as of Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration has not said which product is tied to the illnesses, and officials have not identified where the people who became sick are located.
The number is enough to make this more than a passing alert, but not enough to show the source. Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that can cause intestinal illness marked by frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements, and the current investigation is unfolding before officials have answered the two questions that matter most: what people ate and where they were exposed.
The new outbreak comes as Michigan is dealing with its largest outbreak of a parasitic infection that causes severe diarrhea, with nearly 1,000 people diagnosed as of Wednesday and no deaths reported. That outbreak is separate from the federal investigation now underway, even as federal and state health authorities continue to track other clusters of cyclospora illnesses.
The lack of a named product is what keeps this investigation open-ended. Federal officials earlier this week said they remained focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as the source of a separate, multistate outbreak, and Taylor Farms last week announced a recall of iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico. Cyclospora can spread when food comes into contact with human feces, most often through produce irrigated or washed with contaminated water, which is why produce remains the central concern even when investigators have not yet pinned down the exact item.
Soap and water are highly effective at killing cyclospora, while alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not kill it. That detail matters because the outbreak is still being defined in real time, with 72 cases already counted and no product or location identified yet. Until investigators connect the illnesses to a specific food or place, the new cyclospora outbreak remains a warning without a public answer.
