FDA Says Cyclospora Test on Taylor Farms Lettuce Was a False Positive

Dragon Media News Desk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that an initial test indicating the presence of the cyclospora parasite in a lettuce sample supplied by Taylor Farms was a false positive.

After laboratory experts reviewed the result, the FDA concluded that the parasite’s genetic material had not actually been confirmed. As of Sunday, no food sample had produced a confirmed positive result for cyclospora, the agency said.

The investigation into the source and spread of the outbreak remains ongoing.

The FDA had said a day earlier that a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico had tested positive for cyclospora. However, because the testing process is complex, specialists conducted further testing and review before determining that the initial result was incorrect.

California-based Taylor Fresh Foods said the FDA had acknowledged the mistake and apologised to the company.

Taylor Farms said it had already completed a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce produced in central Mexico as a precaution, based on the initial information supplied by public health authorities.

According to the company, the recall was limited to iceberg lettuce grown and processed in central Mexico. Other Taylor Farms-branded products currently on the market were not included in the recall.

The FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating a multistate cyclospora outbreak potentially linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

A total of 1,644 confirmed patients in those five states reported having eaten at Taco Bell restaurants. The illnesses began between May 13 and July 13.

Of those infected, 94 were hospitalised, while no deaths were reported. Among patients who were interviewed, 90 percent said they had eaten iceberg lettuce.

The figure of 1,644 does not represent the total number of cyclospora cases recorded across the United States. It refers to confirmed patients in the five-state investigation who reported eating at Taco Bell.

The FDA’s supply-chain investigation found that the lettuce served at the Taco Bell restaurants visited by patients had been supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico.

However, because the parasite was not confirmed in the lettuce sample, investigators have not yet established precisely which product caused the infections or at what stage contamination may have occurred.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects the intestines. It can cause diarrhoea, loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea and fatigue.

Without treatment, symptoms may continue for several days, a month or longer.

The FDA has advised consumers not to eat recalled lettuce, to clean utensils and surfaces that may have come into contact with it, and to seek medical advice if they develop symptoms of infection.