CDC reporting almost 20,000 confirmed patients in Cyclospora outbreak

The patient count for the ongoing Cyclospora outbreak is now more than 16 times greater than that of the total for 2025.

Since May 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received reports of 19,595 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis acquired in the United States. For the 2025 season there were 1,180 confirmed cases.

Also, the CDC is aware of  6,149 additional cases of cyclosporiasis, which include those that are not laboratory confirmed, or are pending patient interview and submission.

The official Cyclospora season ended Aug. 31, but additional cases will be added to the total count because it can take up to six weeks for testing, diagnosis and reporting to be completed.

The 19,595 cases reported overall include patients in a 20-state outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce traced to a Taylor Farms growing and processing operation in Central Mexico. For that outbreak, the CDC has confirmed 11,458 patients with 990 hospitalizations and two deaths. Therefore, there are 8,137 patients with infections of unknown origin.

States are keeping their own tallies, with the total now standing at 33,548 cases this season. 

State health departments count what their own laboratories and providers report to it, usually in the week they report it. Several states, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas and Kentucky among them, count on a calendar year rather than on the season, so their totals carry illnesses from January through April. Some include probable cases and cases still pending classification. The CDC excludes both.

Michigan was the first state to begin reporting numbers for the outbreak. As of Sept. 3, the state was reporting 14,718 patients with 366 hospitalizations and two deaths. The state has stopped its weekly updates and will instead post new numbers on a monthly basis. Nine states have not published any statistics for this year.