Cyclospora outbreak and other ongoing investigations - new educational videos

 Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety

The Cyclospora outbreaks across the country are continuing to cause thousands of illnesses. The patient counts related to the outbreak in Michigan are at more than 14,700 currently, and nearly 20,000 total nationally. What is going on? The CDC and other public health entities are still not certain what the source of the contamination is. View these new resources to learn more about this parasite, how to keep it off your vegetables, and how to talk with your customers. 

What the heck is Cyclospora?

You my be getting questions from your customers about this foodborne parasite, since this outbreak is reacord-setting. To be clear - the investigation is still very much ongoing. Iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms grown in Mexico is likely the source of some of the illnesses, though likely not all. 

UMN Extension has created a short video that covers the key topics and messaging points for responding to customer concerns related to Cyclospora or other foodborne pathogens. Watch this to remind yourself of questions such as:

• What is Cyclospora and where does it come from?
• Can it be transferred from person to person?
• How would it get on my vegetables?
• What should I tell my customers about it?

English video here: z.umn.edu/CyclosporaVideo_English

Hmong: z.umn.edu/CyclosporaVideo_Hmong

Spanish: z.umn.edu/CyclosporaVideo_Spanish

The life cycle of the Cyclospora oocyst

Video related to the biology of the parasite

To learn more about Cyclospora parasite and the biology of the parasite and how it can make people sick, view this short but excellent presentation from Dr. Teresa Bergholz, Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University.

Topics that Dr. Bergholz covers include: 

• Why is Cyclospora so hard to detect in the environment, and is that why tracing this outbreak so complex? How is is different from bacteria and viruses?
• Why does Cyclospora need to be in the environment for 1-2 weeks before it can cause illness?
• Why can Cyclospora stick onto fruits and vegetables?
• Do sanitizers work in wash water or on surfaces to inactivate the parasite?

View MSU video here: "Cyclospora webinar"

Review this previous article on Cyclospora as well for information on how to talk with customers and some basics of the parasite. 

"Cyclospora outbreak tracking and reducing your risks as a fruit and vegetable grower"