The recent cyclospora outbreak brought up many questions from consumers. Dr. Kalmia Kniel, a food safety expert from the University of Delaware, and Dr. Craig Hedberg, an epidemiologist from the University of Minnesota, answered some of them.
First, many people had never heard of cyclospora, and were not familiar with a parasitic infection in food. Dr. Kniel explains.
“Cyclospora is really unique.We have to remember that it is a single-celled protozoan parasite. It’s not a bacterium.So cyclosporais really different. It cannot multiply in the food, and it requires a human host to multiply,” she said.
Cyclosporiasis is not usually life-threatening and is typically treated with antibiotics.
Many people wondered whether we should stop eating foods that had been contaminated in past outbreaks, For example, raspberries. Here’s Dr. Hedberg.
“I would try to follow the best recommendations coming out of public health. Until something gets identified, I wouldn’t be concerned about it,” he said.
For people who are worried about eating fruits and vegetables, Dr. Kniel suggests cooking them as a way to kill the parasite.
“If you are a consumer that’s very concerned– if your child is immunocompromised—don’t take away the fruits and vegetables. But you can cook them. Cooking will kill this organism, will kill cyclospora,” she said.
In terms of safety when shopping for fruits and vegetables, Dr. Kniel suggests shopping very local.
“Why not go to your local farmer’s market, when you can get something right from the farmer, where you have less distribution, less opportunity there in general for contamination. Doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed safe by any means. But we often think of it having a little bit of a lower risk when it has less movement through the supply chain,” she said.
On the ocal front, Florida has reported 254 cases statewide.
The latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health late Wednesday showed the number of cases in selected Florida counties:
Miami-Dade County, 40
Lee County, 23
Broward County, 22
Orange County, 21
Collier County, 6
Sarasota County, 4
Highlands County, 2
More than 30 states are reporting infections, and current data from them shows the number of infections surpassing the record U.S. mark of about 4,700 set in 2019.
For more information, go to Genomicepi.com, which links to state health department information.
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