CDC Declares the Nation’s Largest Cyclospora Outbreak Over After Nearly 13,000 Illnesses

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has closed the book on the largest multistate Cyclospora outbreak ever recorded in the United States, tying the parasite to contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce that sickened 12,883 people across 21 states.

Cases and health response

The agency issued its final update on Sept.

11, saying new infections tied to the outbreak had slowed to a trickle and that the recalled lettuce was no longer sitting on shelves or moving through restaurant kitchens.

Along the way, the outbreak sent 570 people to the hospital and killed two, both in Michigan.

For a parasite that most Americans have never heard of, this year's numbers turned into one of the more sobering food-safety stories of the summer.

Health officials leaned on a mix of epidemiological interviews and traceback records to connect scattered illnesses back to that single supply chain.

Health investigation

Even with the outbreak officially over, the FDA says it hasn't finished figuring out how the contamination got into the food supply in the first place, which means the broader investigation is still very much alive.

Investigators traced the source to shredded iceberg lettuce processed at a Taylor Farms facility in central Mexico, operating under the name Taylor Farms de Mexico.