Updated

Updated · Press Herald · Aug 11

Maine Ties 10 Cyclospora Cases to Recalled Lettuce as U.S. Outbreak Reaches 10,468

Updated

Updated · Press Herald · Aug 11

Maine Ties 10 Cyclospora Cases to Recalled Lettuce as U.S. Outbreak Reaches 10,468

Q: Washing lettuce won't kill this parasite, so what is the only guaranteed way to make your greens safe?

Cooking them is the only guaranteed way to make greens safe from Cyclospora. Public health guidance says washing lettuce under running water can reduce contamination, but it does not reliably remove or kill the parasite. Cyclospora is resistant to routine produce washing and common sanitizers, and it can cling to the crevices of leafy greens. The reliable kill step is heat. Experts and federal guidance cited in the outbreak response say produce should be cooked to at least 158°F, or 70°C, to kill Cyclospora. That means raw salads cannot be made fully safe by rinsing alone, even if the package says “prewashed.” For recalled lettuce, the advice is not to try to salvage it by washing or cooking it at home if you can avoid it; officials say to throw it away or return it, then wash hands, containers, and surfaces that touched it. For produce that has not been recalled, washing still helps reduce dirt and some contamination, but if you want the only dependable protection against this parasite, the greens need to be cooked thoroughly.

3 articles · Updated · Press Herald · Aug 11

Maine said 10 of its 27 probable cyclosporiasis cases this year were directly linked to recalled iceberg lettuce tied to the national outbreak.
CDC investigators traced the outbreak to iceberg lettuce from a central Mexico farm produced for California-based Taylor Farms, which issued its recall on July 17.
Nationwide, the outbreak has reached 10,468 cases across 47 states, with 517 hospitalizations and two deaths, according to the CDC.
Maine CDC said the 10 linked cases were at least a few weeks old and do not pose a current public health threat in the state, though monitoring continues.
Doctors urged shoppers to wash produce even if labeled prewashed and seek specific testing quickly if symptoms such as weeks-long diarrhea, nausea or cramping appear.