Taylor Farms cyclospora finding was a false positive, FDA says

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now saying the samples of lettuce that were collected from Taylor Farms that were linked to an outbreak of cyclospora, should be considered a false positive. 

Initially, the FDA said Saturday, a sample of the Taylor Farms’ lettuce did test positive for the parasite after the supplier pulled all iceberg lettuce from central Mexico heading to the United States. 

What they're saying:

A spokesperson for Taylor Farms said they were informed that the FDA had made a mistake, saying: "To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a ​single positive product test result for cyclospora"

Reviewed findings

What we know:

The FDA are still working to ensure they collect and analyze product samples. However, at this time there are no confirmed positive Cyclospora samples collected. 

What is cyclosporiasis?

Big picture view:

Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the microscopic parasite cyclospora. 

Cyclosporiasis symptoms

Symptoms can appear two to 14 days after exposure and may include:

• Frequent watery diarrhea
• Loss of appetite and weight
• Abdominal cramps and bloating
• Nausea (vomiting is less common)
• Low-grade fever

For people who do not get treatment, health experts say the illness may last for a few days to over a month. Symptoms could go away and then return one or more times.

 

 

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