FDA Finds Cyclospora at Mexican Farm Tied to Major U.S. Outbreak

Inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration identified the Cyclospora parasite at a Mexican farm in Guanajuato that has been associated with the largest cyclosporiasis outbreak in U.S. history. Samples taken from a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch used for lettuce cultivation tested positive, providing strong epidemiological evidence linking the farm to the outbreak that sickened almost 13,000 people nationwide.

The FDA has now closed its investigation, noting that the exact route of contamination remains unclear. Taylor Farms, whose U.S. facility processed the lettuce, attributed the problem to an independent grower that has been removed from its supplier program and confirmed that the Mexican site stays shut while enhanced safety protocols are implemented. Health officials continue to investigate how human fecal material could have entered the water supply, and Mexican regulators previously reported no Cyclospora in lettuce or water samples from the same location.