At least 480 people have been found ill from Cyclospora infections since June across 16 states, according to the latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Curiously, the CDC’s case count has still not caught up with illnesses reported out of Texas yesterday, where at least 171 people were sickened. The case count by state is now as follows: Arkansas (3 cases), Connecticut (1), Florida (25), Georgia (4), Illinois (9), Iowa (151), Kansas (3), Louisiana (3), Minnesota (1), Missouri (3), Nebraska (85), New Jersey (1), New York (6), Ohio (1), Texas (171) and Wisconsin (12). At least 27 people have been hospitalized due to their infections. While the 236 illnesses in Iowa and Nebraska are known to be from salads served at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants, investigators have not determined a definitive source for the illnesses in other states. Cyclospora is a single-celled parasite often associated with contaminated fresh produce. Symptoms can take several days or weeks to appear and include watery diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, nausea and stomach cramps.
