Michigan health officials have confirmed two deaths from cyclosporiasis, marking the first fatalities linked to the nationwide outbreak.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) cited medical records, revealing both of the deceased individuals had “significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration”.
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Data compiled by the state show 11,234 people in Michigan, as of 30 July, have been infected with cyclospora, the parasite responsible for cyclosporiasis.
Among those cases, 193 people needed hospital care.
MDHHS said the deaths tied to cyclosporiasis are unusual because the illness is “generally not a life-threatening illness”.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the multi-state outbreak.
Based on current evidence, Michigan officials said lettuce or salad greens could be a possible source but added other foods have not been excluded.
The department said no specific produce item, grower, or supplier has yet been identified.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially identified a Taylor Farms facility in Mexico as the origin but retracted that statement in July after a lettuce sample from the supplier produced a “false positive” result for cyclospora.
“Due to the complexity in detection of cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive,” the state agency said at the time.
Earlier, the FDA had said illnesses were reported among people with “exposure” to Taco Bell restaurants.
On 17 July, Taylor Farms said it was voluntarily recalling iceberg lettuce sourced in central Mexico from the US market as it had the “potential to be contaminated with cyclospora”.
The company also advised consumers to discard any lettuce they had bought.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday (3 August) that it “is aware of two cyclosporiasis-related deaths” in Michigan.
Across the country, the CDC said that since 1 May, it had logged 6,707 laboratory-confirmed cyclosporiasis cases as of 28 July.
More than 11,500 additional suspected cases are still awaiting confirmation or further review.
The CDC said its surveillance reports count only laboratory-confirmed infections, while state health agencies may also include probable cases that can lead to higher totals at the local level.
The federal agency said it is coordinating with states to revise the national count as more cases are confirmed.
People infected with cyclosporiasis commonly suffer symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting and body aches.
