Cyclospora cases continue to rise in Maryland

The number of people sickened by the Cyclospora parasite continues to rise in Maryland, now reaching triple digits, the Maryland Department of Health reported Wednesday.

There are 110 confirmed cases of the parasitic infection, cyclosporiasis, which can cause diarrhea in patients, in the state, state health data showed.

David McCallister, a health department spokesperson, said in a statement that 106 of the infections occurred between May 1 and July 21. That’s a 59% increase in reported cases from last week, when the state reported 69 infections.

McCallister added that 27 of the cases obtained the infection within the United States, while 47 occurred internationally. It remains unclear where 36 of the infections started, although the state continues to investigate.

But infections in Maryland remain relatively low compared to those in other states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have linked thousands of cases to a specific outbreak affecting Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. In Michigan alone, that state’s health department confirmed more than 7,000 cases of the infection.

Experts say the outbreak is much larger in magnitude than in recent years, although the infection routinely comes across the radar of public health officials during the summer and spring months. Maryland reports roughly 100 to 200 cases every year, according to state health officials.

The illness is not spread person to person, and instead is caused by contaminated food or water.

Authorities have yet to pin down the source of this year’s outbreaks, though the U.S Food and Drug Administration initially said last week that its tracing efforts indicate that the infections are linked to lettuce imported from Central Mexico by a company, Taylor Farms de Mexico, which also supplies produce to Taco Bell and several grocery retailers. The agency subsequently called that a “false positive,” though the importer recalled lettuce products potentially contaminated with the Cyclospora parasite.

Steve Mandernach, executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, previously told The Banner that the parasite is difficult for authorities to identify because it can appear in low numbers and requires advanced technology to be detected.

Under the Trump administration, federal officials stopped tracking cases of cyclosporiasis prior to the outbreaks, but have since increased their surveillance efforts. On Monday, the FDA’s acting deputy commissioner for food, Donald Prater, who is overseeing the outbreak, said that the agency’s additional surveillance testing of imports spans the southern U.S. border.

Symptoms of the infection can appear between one and two weeks after a person comes in contact with contaminated food or drink. Those infected can experience fatigue, low-grade fever and weight loss as well as gastrointestinal distress.