Michigan, the state hit hardest by the multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, is seeing promising signs that the number of illnesses may be slowing down. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, more than 9,500 people have gotten sick from the parasite in the state, with about 160 hospitalizations, in the last two months.

Investigation and Recall

The outbreak has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from Taylor Farms de Mexico. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been investigating the source of the illness, but the agency did not immediately respond to questions regarding its progress. Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce from some Taco Bell restaurants, groceries, and food service suppliers over a week ago.

While the outbreak isn’t over in Michigan, cases may have peaked there. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for Michigan, said a significant number of recently reported cases were a result of a reporting delay at one particular healthcare system and don’t necessarily reflect new illnesses. Bagdasarian also noted that the percentage of visits to emergency departments with diarrhea as a main complaint is slowing.

Challenges in Tracing the Source

However, people with milder symptoms may not be getting tested, and there are concerns that other contaminated products may still be in the food supply. The FDA is working to trace the source of the illness, but the process is challenging due to the complexity of the food supply chain. Jennifer McEntire, the founder of Food Safety Strategy, said it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific source because many products “move or change hands many times, go through numerous distribution centers [and] sometimes brokers.”

Health officials have suspected other food sources in this season’s outbreaks, namely cilantro and parsley, but have not confirmed either one. In New York, state officials investigated an earlier, smaller cluster of cyclosporiasis cases in April and traced the outbreak to cilantro served at a Brooklyn restaurant, though they never definitively confirmed it was the source.

Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.