As of Wednesday, July 24, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had been notified of 285 cases of Cyclospora infection in residents of multiple states, including Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin, Georgia, Connecticut, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Ohio. Officials said it is unclear whether the cases from all of the states are part of the same outbreak.

Most of the illness onset dates have ranged from mid-June through early July, but no common events (such as social gatherings) have been identified among the case patients. Reports indicate that at least 18 people have been hospitalized in three states. To view a current case map, click here.

CDC officials said that no food items have been implicated to date, but public health authorities are pursuing all leads. They noted that previous outbreak investigations—from 1997 through 2008 (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6002a1.htm)—have implicated various types of fresh produce.

The agency also said it has confirmed five cases of Cyclospora infection in CDC laboratories. Pointing out that one of those cases was confirmed via telediagnosis, CDC said it encourages laboratories to use telediagnosis to confirm cases of infection because it speeds confirmation.