A new twist in cyclosporiasis outbreak
The Food and Drug Administration on Sunday announced that a test that previously identified the cyclospora parasite in shredded lettuce from central Mexico “should be considered a false positive.”
“As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for cyclospora,” the FDA wrote in a statement.
What does that mean? A specific source for this outbreak has not been confirmed through testing. But the FDA maintains its traceback investigation and outbreak data still point to the shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico by Taylor Farms, and that the recall on the product is still in effect.
Cyclosporiasis cases have been reported in 34 states this year, both linked to iceberg lettuce and to unrelated sources. Michigan has reported more than 6,000 cases of illness in this outbreak.
PBS News’ Tim McPhillips breaks down why testing for cyclospora is so challenging.
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