Items Tagged with 'cyclospora'

Per CDC, 843 domestically acquired cyclosporiasis cases have been confirmed in 31 states, plus another 1,500 pending analysis. Michigan alone has reported more than 2,600 cases and is looking at lettuce as a potential vehicle of illness.

Cyclosporiasis is surging across the U.S., with CDC and state public health officials reporting a growing number of cases. Michigan alone has reported more than 1,200 Cyclospora infections since June, resulting in at least 44 hospitalizations.

Cyclosporiasis is considered an "important neglected parasitic infection" by CDC. It is also a nationally notifiable disease. Cyclospora is an emergent foodborne pathogen that is frequently overlooked in risk assessments for food safety assurance—an oversight that might not be justifiable.

The executive summary includes global risk characterizations for parasite-food commodity combinations for Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Giardia, Toxoplasma gondii, and other foodborne protozoan parasites.

Recently concluded research funded by the Center for Produce Safety provides practical, immediately actionable insights that industry can integrate into their operations, ranging from sanitation best practices, to Salmonella and E. coli mitigation, to wild bird management, and more.

With funding from the Center for Produce Safety (CPS), a team of researchers are developing a rapid viability test for the challenging parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published the results of a sampling and testing assignment to determine the prevalence of Cyclospora cayetanensis, Salmonella, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cilantro, parsley, and basil.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by Natalie Dyenson, M.P.H., Chief Food Safety and Regulatory Officer for the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), about her role at IFPA, the Association’s key priorities for produce food safety, and its global advocacy work along the fresh produce supply chain.

A fully automated assay to detect Cyclospora cayetanensis, developed under a Research Collaboration Agreement between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Rheonix, is now available to food and environmental testing laboratories, and has been proven to achieve consistent detection rates in samples of high-risk fresh produce with low levels of oocysts.

Due to a steady increase of foodborne Cyclospora cayetanensis infections in recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) charged the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) with producing a report that provides information on the factors that contribute to the contamination of produce by the parasite, as well as recommendations for a prevention and management strategy.