First deaths from cyclospora reported: Michigan officials have confirmed the first known U.S. deaths tied to the ongoing multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak, raising the stakes in a foodborne illness surge that has already sickened thousands while investigators still have not identified the source.
The state health department in Michigan has confirmed the first known deaths in the continuing multistate outbreak of the foodborne illness cyclosporiasis.
Cyclospora cayetanensis oocyst, foodborne parasite, cyclosporiasis pathogen. Sporocysts inside the protozoan. Intestinal infection outbreak, medical microbiology, parasitology, food safety, infectious disease, laboratory research Credit: quantic69 / iStock/Getty Images
Overview:
FoodNet — a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and state health departments created in 1995 — made surveillance of cyclospora optional in 2025. The CDC says it continues to monitor laboratory-confirmed cases of outbreaks.
On Monday, federal and state public health officials announced the first confirmed deaths in the U.S. tied to the nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “is aware of two cyclosporiasis-related deaths in people with underlying health conditions from Michigan as a result of this outbreak,” according to a statement posted on the agency’s website on Monday. “CDC will update its website to include laboratory confirmed cases, hospitalizations and deaths.”
Food contamination linked to the microscopic parasite typically occurs between late spring and into the summer. But this year’s ongoing outbreak has been anything but typical, with the CDC reporting more than 6,700 domestically acquired, lab-confirmed cases since May 1 and another 11,500 suspected cases under investigation.
The agency also reports 1,947 confirmed illnesses from the parasite across nine states.
Nevertheless, the CDC’s official number of sickened patients hasn’t changed since July 24, and doesn’t include cases occurring in people who may have gotten ill while traveling internationally. The source of the outbreak, which covers 45 states, is still unidentified.
Cyclospora #FoodSafety #PublicHealth
