4 more states report cyclosporiasis outbreak. Here's how the FDA does a traceback investigation

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Set us as preferred Identifying the source of a food-borne illness such as cyclosporiasis — a diarrhea-causing parasite that has sickened thousands of people in the United States — is almost as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.It’s not impossible to narrow down the culprit but it is a challenge because public health investigators are analyzing multiple pieces of evidence from available public health data, following a potential food source through the supply chain and testing samples of potentially contaminated food.Public health officials “are trying to align multiple pieces of evidence in a way that lets us protect the public’s health to the best that we can,” said Gregory Stevens, professor and chair of the Department of Public Health with Cal State Los Angeles.On Wednesday the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration announced it was initiating a traceback investigation into a second cyclosporiasis outbreak.The agency has yet to link the latest outbreak to a specific product or location.

The announcement follows a larger outbreak with cases that date back to May and that has affected more than 10,000 people across five states — Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia — who reported feeling ill after eating Taco Bell meals with shredded iceberg lettuce.On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded the first outbreak to include four more states — Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.

Based on epidemiological information collected by the CDC, a total of 1,947 people infected with cyclosporiasis across those states said they became ill after eating Taco Bell between June 22 and July 20.“We also expect to continue to see the number of confirmed cases rise, despite the recall, due to the fact that it can take as long as six weeks for CDC and state officials to de...