No link, but Texans warned of possible parasite in fresh produce

The Texas Department of State Health Services has received reports of 68 cases of the parasite cyclospora since late June, and, for the moment, officials are linking them to fresh produce, even though there’s no specific link.

More than 100 cases have been reported across Texas in 2017, said Chris Van Deusen, a department spokesman.

As of July 21, there was no definitive link to fresh fruits and vegetables in any of the cases, Van Deusen said.

But, he said, it was safe to make such an assumption.

Although no common exposure source has yet been identified for the increase in cases this year, past outbreaks in the U.S. have been associated with consumption of imported fresh produce, including fresh cilantro, pre-packaged salad mix, raspberries, basil, snow peas, and mesclun lettuce, Van Deusen said.

“In our experience, that’s been the common vehicle when we’ve seen it both in Texas and the U.S.,” Van Deusen said. “We want to make physicians aware that this bug is recurring in Texas and that is the link we’re looking into.”

Health officials are encouraging healthcare providers to test patients for the parasite Cyclospora if they have diarrheal illness lasting more than a few days or diarrhea accompanied by severe anorexia or fatigue.

State and federal public-health agencies — including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration — are investigating the increased number of cases to identify possible common exposures, Van Deusen said.

Rapid reporting to public health, enabling prompt investigation to identify possible common exposures, is essential to preventing additional cases of cyclosporiasis, he said.

Van Deusen said he was not aware of any testing of produce for the parasite.

“We are, of course, investigating with local health experts to try and identify a common source,” he said, and the CDC is coordinating any multi-state activities.