Cyclospora Outbreak
Episode 006
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Welcome to another turn of The Sonic Wheel
I’m Christopher Howell
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An outbreak of cyclosporiasis is making people sick. As of July 28th the illness has spread to 45 states. Cyclosporiasis is caused by a parasite called cyclospora. There are between 500 and 1000 confirmed cases in Ohio. According to reporting by the Center for Disease Control there have been more than 67-hundred cases since May First. Many cases are traced back to iceberg lettuce grown by Taylor Farms coming from Mexico. Tracing of the sources and the spread of the outbreak is ongoing with cases sure to increase. It’s sent 423 people to the hospital but so far no deaths are reported.
Professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Delaware, Dr. Kalmia Kniel has worked in microbial food safety, focused on protozoan parasites and foodborne pathogens for about 25 years. Dr. Kniel describes what makes fresh produce, like lettuce, especially susceptible to contamination...
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That was Dr. Kalmia Kniel. There is a lag between the time food contamination occurs and when it’s detected. Sometimes food producers can detect contamination ahead of time through testing or monitoring. Dr Kniel says unfortunately it often takes people showing up in clinics before public health authorities can identify the causes of food contamination.
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Dr. Kniel says more monitoring of food safety practices like hand washing and sanitary handling of food in restaurants, stores, and by producers has been successful in making our food safer.
Epidemiologist and Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Craig Hedberg has spent much of his career investigating outbreaks and training others on better investigative techniques. He says Epidemiology is basic detective work that starts with talking to people to find out what made them sick...
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That was Dr. Craig Hedberg. Because outbreak detection requires people, increased funding and hiring more people to do the investigations could make the process of finding contaminated food quicker.
Dr. Hedberg...
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That was Dr. Craig Hedberg. The CDC is publishing new cyclosporiasis outbreak data weekly on it’s website As the outbreak continues, Dr. Kniel reminds us to remember this investigation is changing as new information becomes available.
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Symptoms of cyclosporiasis include diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, tiredness, and fever. To date no one has died from this infection. Those at higher risk include pregnant women, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. Many people are treating it at home with rest and lots of fluids. Health experts say if you have severe symptoms you can seek treatment at a clinic or emergency room and antibiotics may help.
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That’s it for this spin of The Sonic Wheel
My thanks to SciLine, a non-profit based at the American Association for the Advancement of Science for production assistance.
Thanks for listening.
I’m Christopher Howell
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Credits
Music by Radio Direct
Logo by Snehanshu Dharmadhikari on Unsplash
Thanks to SciLine, a non-profit based at the American Association for the advancement of Science for production assistance. Learn more at https://www.sciline.org/about/
Professor in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Delaware, Dr. Kalmia Kniel works in microbial food safety, focused on protozoan parasites and food bourne pathogens for about 25 years.
Epidemiologist and Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Craig Hedberg has spent much of his career investigating outbreaks and training others on better investigative techniques.
https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/php/surveillance/index.html
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/expert-qa/cyclosporiasis-outbreak