In 2019, multiple outbreaks of cyclosporiasis were identified and found to be linked to different produce items, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About 10 percent of ill people were associated with a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked to fresh basil imported from Siga Logistics de RL de CV of Morelos, Mexico.
As of Nov. 13, the most recent data shows 2,408 laboratory confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis were reported to the CDC by 37 states, District of Columbia, and New York City. The patients in that count became ill from May 1 to Aug. 31 and had no history of international travel during the 14-day period before their illness onsets. The median illness onset date was July 1.
In 2019, the domestically acquired cases during the so-called cyclospora season of May 1 through Aug. 31 was higher than the number of cases reported for the same period in 2017 and 2018.
At least 144 people were hospitalized; no deaths were reported.
Multiple clusters of cases associated with different restaurants or events were investigated by state public health authorities, the CDC, and the Food and Drug Administration.
Many cases of cyclosporiasis could not be directly linked to an outbreak, in part because of the lack of validated molecular typing tools for C. cayetanensis, the parasite that causes cyclosporiasis.