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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Sunday that laboratory experts rechecked lettuce sample results in the Taylor Farms cyclospora investigation and concluded the finding should be considered a false positive.
As of Sunday, there were no confirmed positive sample results for cyclospora, the FDA added.
The agency on Saturday had said that a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms had tested positive for the parasitic illness that has sickened thousands of people in the U.S.
Taylor Fresh Foods said Sunday that the company was informed the FDA made a mistake.
“To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for cyclospora,” the company said in a statement.
It added that it had completed a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico, first announced Friday, out of an abundance of caution based on the initial information given.
The FDA in its latest update said it has “notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market.”
Taylor Farms had earlier confirmed that the product was not part of its current recall, according to the FDA.
A diarrhea-causing parasite has led to a growing outbreak in the United States that has sickened more than 1,000 people and sent dozens to hospital. As of Wednesday, multiple states had reported cyclospora infections, which can cause watery diarrhea, bloating, fever and nausea. While cases are common in the spring and summer, the current outbreak has led to an unusually high number, making it one of the largest the country has seen. No deaths have been reported.
Some background
Cyclosporiasis, which has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Yum Brands Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, has so far resulted in around 100 hospitalizations and no deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak began on May 1.
The lettuce, which the FDA said late on Thursday came from Mexico, was produced as five-pound (2.3 kilogram) bags at Taylor Farms’ facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, a source told Reuters.
Taylor Farms’ voluntary recall had affected products sold from June 29 to July 16 sent to 27 U.S. states, including Florida and Louisiana.
Canada has not been heavily impacted. The Public Health Agency of Canada said it isn’t investigating any cyclosporiasis outbreaks, and there haven’t been any cases related to the current spread in the U.S.
