FDA says review of Taylor Farms lettuce shows cyclospora finding was false positive | US news
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Sunday that laboratory experts rechecked the results of a romaine sample taken from Taylor Farms as part of an investigation into an outbreak of the cyclospora parasite and concluded that the finding should be considered a false positive.
The FDA added that there were no confirmed positive sample results for cyclospora as of Sunday. The FDA announced Saturday that a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce provided by Taylor Farms tested positive for the parasitic disease that has sickened thousands of people in the United States.
A spokesman for Taylor Fresh Foods told Reuters that the company had been informed that the FDA had made a mistake.
“To be clear, at this time the FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for cyclospora,” the company said. Taylor Fresh Foods added that it has completed a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico out of an abundance of caution based on initial information provided.
In its latest update, the FDA said it “has notified Taylor Farms and continues to work with the company to ensure that the product involved in this outbreak is removed from the market.”
Taylor Farms also said the FDA had apologized. The company had previously confirmed that the product was not part of the current recall, according to the FDA.
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 resulted in nearly 100 hospitalizations and no deaths so far, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Parasitic infection is caused by the single-celled protozoa cyclospore. The microbe is typically transmitted through water or food contaminated with feces. It is most common in the hot weather between May and August.
It may take weeks or days for an infected person to develop symptoms, making cyclosporiasis difficult to monitor. Diagnosis and reporting then take several more weeks.
