The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that its inspectors detected the parasite Cyclospora at a farm in Guanajuato, Mexico, which has been linked to a multi-state foodborne illness outbreak. The announcement follows a declaration from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the outbreak, which affected nearly 13,000 people, had ended.
According to the FDA’s report, samples testing positive for the parasite were collected from a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch at a Taylor Farms facility. While the agency stated that the exact cause of the lettuce contamination remains unclear, it said the findings provide “strong epidemiological data” connecting the farm to the outbreak.
The CDC had previously reported that the cyclosporiasis outbreak resulted in 570 hospitalizations and two deaths across 21 states, making it the largest of its kind in U.S. history. Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. Symptoms, as described by the CDC, can include watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, and bloating.
The FDA’s findings contrast with an earlier investigation by Mexico’s food safety authority, which reported that it did not detect Cyclospora in lettuce or water samples from the facility. The FDA’s announcement also comes weeks after the agency retracted an initial test result that had incorrectly identified the parasite in a lettuce sample from Taylor Farms collected at the U.S. border.
The FDA stated its recent visit to the Guanajuato farm was the first inspection conducted there by the agency in more than seven years. International food safety inspections saw a decrease following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Taylor Farms addressed the FDA’s findings, attributing the contamination to an “independent grower who is no longer part of our supplier program.” The company confirmed that its facility in central Mexico remains closed as it works with a research team to “implement enhanced safety protocols from the field to the facility.”
