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The FDA found Cyclospora in wastewater from Taylor Farms de Mexico’s lettuce processing facility and in a drainage ditch at a contract grower’s farm in Central Mexico. The findings add environmental evidence to the investigation of a summer outbreak linked to recalled shredded iceberg lettuce, but the agency says it cannot yet determine how contamination occurred or how the samples relate genetically to patients’ infections.
The Food and Drug Administration found Cyclospora in two samples collected at a Taylor Farms lettuce processing facility and a contract grower’s farm in Central Mexico, adding environmental evidence to an investigation of a summer outbreak linked to the company’s shredded iceberg lettuce. The agency said it does not yet have enough evidence to determine how contamination occurred.
One positive sample came from a tank holding outgoing wastewater at the Taylor Farms de Mexico processing facility. The other was collected from a drainage ditch at an iceberg lettuce grower identified during the FDA’s traceback investigation. The agency collected samples of water, soil, sediment and lettuce during onsite work at multiple farms and the processing facility, coordinating with Mexican officials.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 12,883 illnesses, 570 hospitalizations and two deaths in the outbreak. It reported on September 11 that the outbreak had ended. The FDA said the positive environmental samples support the connection between the outbreak and recalled shredded iceberg lettuce from the Taylor Farms operation, alongside epidemiological evidence and traceback findings.
The FDA has completed genotyping of the two environmental samples but is still analyzing how their results compare with genotyping from outbreak patients. A Taylor Fresh Foods spokesperson told ABC News that the Central Mexico facility remains closed while the company works with its research team on enhanced safety protocols. The spokesperson also said the independent grower where the positive sample was found is no longer part of the company’s supplier program.
Environmental Evidence in the Outbreak
The findings matter because they show the parasite was present in the environment at locations involved in lettuce production and processing connected to the investigation. That adds to the evidence linking recalled iceberg lettuce from the Taylor Farms operation to the outbreak, while stopping short of proving the precise route by which the lettuce or its surroundings became contaminated.
The outbreak’s scale—more than 12,000 reported illnesses, hundreds of hospitalizations and two deaths—makes the investigation relevant beyond the businesses involved. Environmental sampling can help public health agencies assess where hazards may have been present and guide companies’ food-safety work. However, the two positive samples alone do not establish that either sample directly caused infections.
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How Investigators Traced the Lettuce
Initial links between the outbreak and the company’s lettuce emerged in July, after people who ate at Taco Bell restaurants became ill. The affected menu items contained iceberg lettuce that the chain sourced from Taylor Farms, according to the report. The FDA’s traceback investigation then identified several farms and a processing facility in Mexico that supplied recalled lettuce distributed by Taylor Fresh Foods.
The agency’s onsite inspections and sample collection followed that traceback work. It gathered samples across multiple locations and material types, including water, soil, sediment and iceberg lettuce. The results announced October 2 identify two positive environmental samples, but the FDA’s investigation into how contamination happened and the relationship between the samples and patients’ infections is continuing.
“There is currently not enough evidence to conclusively determine how contamination occurred in the outbreak.”
— Food and Drug Administration
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What the Samples Cannot Establish
The findings do not yet establish how Cyclospora entered the production environment, whether either positive sample was directly connected to the illnesses, or the specific point at which lettuce became contaminated. The positive sample locations were a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch; the reported results do not say that a sample of the finished lettuce itself tested positive.
Although genotyping of the environmental samples is complete, the FDA said analysis comparing those results with patient specimens is ongoing. Until that work is reported, the genetic relationship between the samples and outbreak infections remains unclear. The source material also does not specify when the facility might reopen or provide further details about the company’s enhanced protocols.
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Genotyping and Facility Status
The next key investigative step is the FDA’s analysis of how the completed genotyping results for the two environmental samples relate to genotyping from people who became ill. That comparison may clarify whether the samples are connected to the outbreak, though the agency has not provided a timetable or said what conclusions the analysis may support.
The Taylor Farms facility is reported to remain closed while the company develops enhanced safety protocols with its research team. The agency’s account does not give a reopening date. The outbreak was reported ended on September 11, but the investigation’s remaining questions—including the contamination route and the significance of the genetic comparison—have not been resolved in the information available.
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Key Questions
Where did the FDA find Cyclospora?
It found the parasite in a tank holding outgoing wastewater at Taylor Farms de Mexico’s processing facility and in a drainage ditch at an iceberg lettuce grower’s farm in Central Mexico.
Did the FDA prove that these samples caused the outbreak?
No. The FDA said it does not have enough evidence to determine how contamination occurred. It is still comparing the environmental samples’ genotyping results with results from outbreak patients.
How large was the summer outbreak?
The CDC counted 12,883 illnesses, 570 hospitalizations and two deaths. It reported that the outbreak had ended on September 11.
Is the Taylor Farms facility open?
A Taylor Fresh Foods spokesperson told ABC News that the Central Mexico facility remains closed while the company works on enhanced safety protocols. No reopening date was provided in the report.
Source: rss
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