In 2019, multiple outbreaks of cyclosporiasis were identified and found to be linked to different produce items.
As of November 13, 2019, 2,408 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis were reported to CDC by 37 states, District of Columbia, and New York City in people who became ill during May 1 to August 31, 2019 and who had no history of international travel during the 14-day period before illness onset.The median illness onset date was July 1, 2019 (range: May 1–August 31, 2019).
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, CDC, and FDA.
Approximately 10% 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.
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.
The overall number of domestically acquired cases reported to date for May–August 2019 (i.e., 2,408) is higher than the numbers of cases reported for the same period in 2017 and 2018. This increase may be due, in part, to changes in diagnostic testing practices—namely, increased use of a multiplex molecular test to examine stool specimens. CDC is working with state public health partners to determine whether and to what extent changes in testing practices may have contributed to increased case detection and reporting.