Is it safe to eat produce? A rise in diarrhea-causing cyclosporiasis sparks fears of fruit, vegetables

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Set us as preferred A surge in parasitic disease cases that can cause a prolonged bout of debilitating diarrhea is prompting growing concerns from public health officials and questions from the public about the safety of fresh produce.Experts say the risk varies in different parts of the country and that in California, basic washing of produce remains sufficient.California has reported 41 cases of cyclosporiasis this year, but none have been linked to recent multi-state outbreak, according to local public health officials.

The situation in other states in more concerning.Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the miscroscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.People contract the illness by consuming food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person that contained the parasite.

The epicenter of the cyclosporiasis outbreak is in Michigan with the state public health department reporting more than 3,000 cases of the illness, including 44 reported cases of hospitalizations.On Tuesday the Michigan health department said, “available information indicates that lettuce or salad greens may be a potential source of this outbreak,” however, other food items cannot be completely ruled out.

In the U.S., food-borne outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of fresh produce imported from Latin America including raspberries, cilantro, basil, snow peas and mixed salad, according to the California Department of Public Health.At least 34 states have separately reported between tens to hundreds of cases of cyclosporiasis this summer.Since May 1, the CDC has received more than 1,600 confirmed domestic cases and is aware of more than 5,100 cases that require further analysis to confirm the illness as domestically acquired cyclosporiasis.

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