Cyclospora cayetanensis (photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Louisiana’s 100 cases of cyclosporiasis only represents a very small percentage of the number of cases across the country. Dr. Fred Lopez, a professor of medicine at LSU Health New Orleans, says the current cyclosporiasis outbreak is the biggest in the nation’s history, and the number is mind-boggling.
“More than 18,000 confirmed and/or probable cases have been reported in the United States,” Lopez noted.
Michigan accounts for more than half of that number, with 10,000 cases – and that now includes two deaths, with both of those people having underlying health conditions. Lopez says while the outbreak has been traced to contaminated lettuce, local lettuce at this time is in the clear.
“We have not heard of any source that’s resulted in infection from the state of Louisiana; but in the Midwest, at least nine states appear to be linked to this lettuce from central Mexico,” Lopez said.
Lopez says cyclospora is normally prevalent in the warm months, namely May through August; and while lettuce is the most common source of the parasite, it has been found in other produce as well.
“If it hasn’t been lettuce, it’s been something like herbs, perhaps cilantro, for example; fruits, like raspberries, are another vehicle that transmitted this infection in the past,” Lopez said.
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