Federal investigators have found new evidence pointing to the source of a nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis that sickened thousands of people in the United States over the summer. According to a report from The New York Times, inspectors with the Food and Drug Administration detected the parasite Cyclospora during an on-site inspection of a Taylor Farms facility in northeastern Mexico.
Taylor Farms is a major supplier of packaged salads and fresh produce to grocery chains and restaurants across the U.S. The company has fields and processing plants in Mexico that ship vegetables north of the border, and health officials had already flagged its products as a likely link in the outbreak before this latest finding.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that causes a prolonged intestinal illness known as cyclosporiasis, with symptoms including watery diarrhea, cramping, and fatigue that can last for weeks if untreated. Outbreaks linked to imported produce—often fresh herbs, lettuce, and other leafy greens—have become more frequent in recent years, and tracing their origin typically requires painstaking fieldwork by agencies on both sides of the border.
The discovery during the FDA’s inspection does not yet amount to definitive proof, but it strengthens the likelihood that the contamination occurred either in the company’s fields or inside its processing facility before the produce reached American consumers.
To read the full original report, visit The New York Times.
Source: F.D.A. Found Cyclospora During Taylor Farms Inspection in Mexico (rss.nytimes.com).
Image: photofarmer, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).