







Experts say layoffs, reduced disease surveillance and Medicaid cuts have made the foodborne parasite more difficult to track and contain
Cyclospora Boosts Fears That Worse Foodborne Outbreaks Are Ahead - KFF Health News
The recent outbreak of a foodborne parasite sickened thousands and hospitalized hundreds across the U.S. before federal investigators identified the suspected source. Food safety experts say cuts to the public health system hobbled the response — and that the next outbreak could be much worse.

Cyclospora and salmonella outbreaks raise concerns about U.S. food safety
Public health concerns are widening as cyclosporiasis cases surge and a salmonella outbreak across 17 states has many Americans raising concerns about U.S. food safety. Back-to-back cases where people are getting sick from food have put many on edge. William Brangham discussed the concerns with Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University.

Trump admin shelves Cyclospora research despite record-breaking outbreak
The CDC has tallied nearly 30,000 confirmed and probable cases this summer.
A summer of recalls exposes holes in the nation’s food safety net • Minnesota Reformer
Jalapenos. Frozen berries. Beef. Alfalfa sprouts. A summer of food recalls, including the record-shattering cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands, has raised many Americans’ fears of contracting a foodborne illness. The recalls have focused attention on the Trump administration’s decision to cut funding and staff at several public health agencies, and […]

Nurses Chase Cyclospora, Aided by Interviews, Fast-Food Receipts — And the Messy Details - KFF Health News
Yes, they’ve heard all the poop jokes. Public health staffers are painstakingly tracing the sources of this massive outbreak, combing through fast-food orders and lettuce purchases as they listen to people’s lengthy, messy stories about their illness.

Why we still don’t know what foods are the source of the cyclospora outbreak
“You cannot thin a system, defer the tools that would speed it up, and then wonder why the public is left guessing,” writes epidemiologist Katrine Wallace.

The CDC Has a Cyclospora Lab. DOGE Downsized It Last Year
“Based on simple math, these outbreak responses—which require rapid, timely responses—are going to be greatly diminished,” the former CDC lab director tells WIRED.

The Explosive Diarrhea Outbreak Is About to Get Much Bigger
Official case counts likely capture only a fraction of US cyclosporiasis infections, and the outbreak is likely to get worse before it gets better.

CDC Stopped Monitoring Parasite Now Causing Explosive Diarrhea Across The Country
MAHA.

What we know on Taylor Farms donations to pro-Trump groups
After Taylor Farms de Mexico’s lettuce was identified as a potential source for a multi-state cyclospora outbreak, the company’s political dealings and contributions came under scrutiny. Social media users looked into donations the company and its leadership made and drew assumptions about how those influenced the Trump administration’s outbreak response. Here are some of the […]

Cyclospora Outbreak: Weekend Update | Shouldn't Need to Be a Lawyer by Matthew Cortland
This is a follow up to Cyclosporiasis Is Here: How to Protect Yourself (July 13). My pre-write of this piece, also drafted on July 13th, was
Cyclospora Outbreak: Weekend Update | Shouldn't Need to Be a Lawyer by Matthew Cortland
This is a follow up to Cyclosporiasis Is Here: How to Protect Yourself (July 13). My pre-write of this piece, also drafted on July 13th, was
As Parasite Spawned Chaos, Taylor Farms Slow-Walked Its Response
The US Food and Drug Administration had apologized, Taylor Farms said in a post on X. An agency lab test linking its produce to the country’s worst cyclosporiasis outbreak in decades was a false positive. Not only that, but the government still hadn’t produced a laboratory result connecting the company’s lettuce to the outbreak.

Epic diarrhea outbreak has 40% of Americans avoiding fruits and veggies
Kennedy has focused on nutrition but has neglected food safety, critics say.

Taylor Farms linked to 5 other Cyclospora or E.Coli outbreaks in last decade-plus | CNN
Taylor Farms has regularly downplayed problems after being linked to outbreaks in the past.

Cyclosporiasis
Cyclosporiasis is a disease caused by infection by oocytes of Cyclospora cayetanensis, a pathogenic apicomplexan protozoan transmitted by feces-contaminated food and water. Outbreaks in the United States have been reported due to contaminated fruits and vegetables, and infection elsewhere is associated both with food contamination and with poor sanitation standards. Because the oocysts of Cyclospora must sporulate in the environment for 1–2 weeks before they become infectious, direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely.
