Category Archives: Cyclosporiasis

Research – Studies Aim to Improve Detection, Control Methods for Cyclospora

Posted on January 14, 2023 | Leave a comment

Food Safety.Com

Two ongoing studies funded by the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) are looking to improve detection and control methods for Cyclospora cayetanensis. A complex protozoan parasite, C. cayetanensis is extremely challenging to culture in a laboratory setting, and requires complicated microscopy for detection in samples.

The first project, led by Purdue University’s Lia Stanciu, Ph.D., seeks to use “aptamers”—or short strands of synthesized DNA—to bind to C. cayetanensis. The aptamers would then be used to create a paper-based, low-cost, and easy-to-use water test for the parasite, similar to rapid COVID-19 or pregnancy tests.

The second study is exploring the use of zero-valent iron (ZVI) sand filters to remove C. cayetanensis from water, evaluating the basic principle that physical exclusion might be an option to reduce parasite burdens.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, Decontamination Microbial, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Parasite, Protozoan

USA – Cooper’s Hawk Duval County Cyclospora Outbreak Attributed to Contaminated Basil

Posted on November 14, 2022 | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning News

The final investigation of the 2019 Cyclospora outbreak in Duval County, Florida found the most likely cause of the Cooper’s Hawk outbreak was serving food containing contaminated fresh basil – ironically, to-date Cooper’s Hawk continues to deny it served contaminated food. The Florida Department of Health of Duval County (DOH-Duval) first announced the potential outbreak on June 22, 2019 after one of Cooper’s Hawks own restaurant managers notified them of an estimated 20 employees who had became sick with gastrointestinal illness beginning on June 18, 2019. After the first report of employee infections, reports of illnesses in customers came pouring in, with a total of 153 gastrointestinal illnesses.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

USA – Cooper’s Hawk Winery Cyclospora Outbreak in Jacksonville, Florida:  Victims Still Coming Forward to Seek Justice as 4-Year Statute of Limitations Approaches

Posted on November 10, 2022 | Leave a comment

Food Poisoning News

Cooper’s Hawk Winery Cyclospora Outbreak in Jacksonville, Florida:  Victims Still Coming Forward to Seek Justice as 4-Year Statute of Limitations Approaches

In June of 2019, the Florida Department of Health in Duval County (DOH-Duval) was notified of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness (food poisoning) among employees of the local Jacksonville Cooper’s Hawk Winery – the restaurant corporate manager called in the notification. By that time, about 20 employees had become ill. On Sunday, June 23 the Regional Environmental Epidemiologist (REE) was notified by Florida Poison Information Control Network that 16 out of 17 persons who dined at Cooper’s Hawk with a group on June 11, 2019 were ill with a gastrointestinal illness.  This information was sent to DOH-Duval who began an outbreak investigation on June 24.

That same day, another individual called to report he was in a different group (24 persons) who all became ill (except one person) after eating at Cooper’s Hawk Winery in Jacksonville on June 13.

Between June 24 and July 3, 2019, a total of six independent parties contacted DOH-Duval Epidemiology to report gastrointestinal illness after they ate food from the Jacksonville Cooper’s Hawk Winery between June 11 and June 15.

On July 8, the local news media reported on the outbreak which resulted in additional patrons calling in and reporting their illnesses.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

USA – Core Outbreak Table – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on October 27, 2022 | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • A new outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 (reference #1121) in a not yet identified product has been added to the table and traceback has been initiated.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Litchfield in seafood, (reference #1105), FDA issued an Outbreak Advisory on 10/19/2022.
  • Based on CDC’s epidemiological investigation of two large multistate outbreaks of Cyclospora cayetanensis (reference #1080 and #1084), ill people reported eating a variety of leafy greens before becoming sick. For both investigations, CDC, FDA, and state and local partners conducted epidemiologic and traceback investigations and collected and analyzed product and environmental samples. All samples collected were reported as negative for Cyclospora. Due to the lack of additional detail in the epidemiological data and the absence of supporting evidence collected from traceback and sample collection, FDA could not identify a specific product as the source of either outbreak.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg (reference #1087) in a not identified product, one additional case was reported, the outbreak has ended, and FDA’s investigation has closed.
  • For the adverse illness event series in frozen food (reference #1076), the outbreak has ended, and the FDA investigation has closed.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Poisoning, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Poisoning, Salmonella, STEC, STEC E.coli

USA – FDA Core Outbreak Table

Posted on October 20, 2022 | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • For the outbreak of E. coli O121:H19 linked to Frozen Falafels (reference #1115), FDA has initiated traceback and sample collection and analysis.
  • For the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in an unidentified product (reference #1081), the FDA investigation has closed.
  • For the outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg in an unidentified product (reference #1087), the case count has increased from 33 to 34 cases.
  • For the outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis in an unidentified product (reference #1084), the case count has increased from 42 to 43 case.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli O121, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Salmonella

USA – FDA Core Outbreak Investigation Table

Posted on September 29, 2022 | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • For the Cyclospora outbreak in a not yet identified food (reference #1080), sample collection and analysis has been initiated and an on-site inspection has been initiated.
  • For the Salmonella Mississippi outbreak in a not identified food (reference #1097), the investigation is closed, and the outbreak has ended.
  • A new outbreak has been added to the table: Salmonella Litchfield (reference #1105) in a not yet identified food. Traceback has been initiated.
  • For the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak in a not yet identified food (reference #1095), the case count has increased from 84 cases to 86 cases.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, Decontamination Microbial, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Salmonella

UK – Man contracts Cyclospora after Mexican holiday; others report illnesses.

Posted on September 22, 2022 | Leave a comment

Food Safety News

A family in England fell sick while on holiday in Mexico with at least one of them having a confirmed Cyclospora infection.

Philip Whitmore tested positive for Cyclospora after speaking with a doctor about his symptoms.

The 61-year-old said he was shocked after being told of the diagnosis and learning how the disease can be contracted.

“I did not expect to visit a five-star hotel and contract such an illness. Being a retired chef with 40 years of professional catering experience, I did notice some concerning issues around food hygiene as the holiday went on, but I never thought that most of my family would become so unwell,” he said.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Canada – Non-travel related Cyclospora infections under investigation – September 9, 2022

Posted on September 12, 2022 | Leave a comment

Public Health Notice

Each spring and summer, Canada sees an increase in non-travel related Cyclospora illnesses reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). PHAC is working with its public health and food safety partners to identify possible ways infections are occurring in Canada. Previous Cyclospora illnesses have been linked to various types of imported fresh produce, including pre-packaged salad mix, basil, cilantro, berries, lettuce, and snow and snap peas.

Learn more about the causes, symptoms and risks of infection, as well as how to prevent and treat an illness.

At a glance
Investigation status Ongoing
Case count 310
Provinces/Territories
  • Alberta (1)
  • British Columbia (3)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador (3)
  • Ontario (252)
  • Quebec (51)
Hospitalizations 13
Deaths 0
Gender
  • 150 Males
  • 159 Females
  • Gender is unknown for 1 case
Age Range in Years 1-90
Recall No
Public Health Notice No

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

USA – FDA Core Table – Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

Posted on September 9, 2022 | Leave a comment

FDA

What’s New

  • For the Salmonella Mississippi outbreak (ref# 1097) in a not yet identified product, the case count has increased from 99 to 100 cases.
  • For the Salmonella Senftenberg outbreak (ref# 1087) in a not yet identified food, the case count has increased from 22 to 27 cases.
  • For the Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak (ref# 1095) in a not yet identified food, the case count has increased from 73 to 78 cases.
  • For the Cyclospora outbreak (ref# 1080) the case count has increased from 75 to 79 cases.
  • For the Salmonella Braenderup outbreak (ref# 1075) the FDA investigation has closed. A product linked to illnesses was not identified.
  • The investigation associated with Dry Cereal (ref # 1064) has ended and the FDA investigation has closed with no pathogen or cause of the self-reported illnesses identified, despite extensive testing for numerous potential microbial and chemical adulterants.

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Posted in Cyclospora, Cyclosporiasis, Decontamination Microbial, FDA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Salmonella

USA – Domestically Acquired Cases of Cyclosporiasis — United States, May–August 2022

Posted on September 2, 2022 | Leave a comment

CDC

LAST UPDATED AUGUST 25, 2022 4:00 PM EDT

Cyclosporiasis illnesses are reported year-round in the United States. However, during the spring and summer months there is often an increase in cyclosporiasis acquired in the United States (i.e., “domestically acquired”). The exact timing and duration of these seasonal increases in domestically acquired cyclosporiasis can vary, but reports tend to increase starting in May. In previous years the reported number of cases peaked between June and July, although activity can last as late as September. The overall health impact (e.g., number of infections or hospitalizations) and the number of identified clusters of cases (i.e., cases that can be linked to a common exposure) also vary from season to season. Previous U.S. outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of fresh produce, including basil, cilantro, mesclun lettuce, raspberries, and snow peas.

At a Glance
  • Illnesses: 800
  • Hospitalizations: 52
  • Deaths: 0
  • States reporting cases: 30

CDC, along with state and federal health and regulatory officials, monitor cases of cyclosporiasis in the United States in the spring and summer months to detect outbreaks linked to a common food source. However, many cases of cyclosporiasis cannot be directly linked to an outbreak, in part because of the lack of validated laboratory “fingerprinting” methods needed to link cases of Cyclospora infection. Officials use questionnaires to interview sick people to determine what they ate in the 14-day period before illness onset. If a commonality is found, CDC and partners work quickly to determine if a contaminated food product is still available in stores or in peoples’ homes and issue advisories.

Latest Information

  • The number of reported cases of domestically acquired cyclosporiasis illnesses has increased by 416 cases since the last update on July 28, 2022. Cases continue to be reported.
  • As of August 23, 2022, 800 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in people who had no history of international travel during the 14-day period before illness onset have been reported to CDC by 31 jurisdictions, including 30 states and New York City, since May 1, 2022.
    • The median illness onset date is June 29, 2022 (range: May 3, 2022–August 12, 2022).
    • At least 52 people have been hospitalized; 0 deaths have been reported.

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