‘Explosive diarrhea’ parasite prompts some restaurants to change the menu

A. cyclosporiasis The epidemic has sickened hundreds, possibly thousands, of Americans with long-term parasitic infections, and dining out poses a unique challenge for those who want to avoid it.

While there are experts Tips for preparing meals at home, Eating out means letting someone else do the prep work, including washing produce and cooking food to the right temperature.

“Consumers, whether at home or in restaurants, have to be a little more careful and frankly paranoid,” food safety attorney Bill Marler told USA TODAY. As someone who represents the people bouts of illness“It’s not nice at all, it could last for months,” he said.

Some restaurants are removing risky ingredients from their menus after experts advise caution. But major national chains have said little publicly about their response plans. The epidemic hit the country unevenly; Some states report hundreds or more cases, while others report no cases at all.

Map: See the spread of ‘explosive’ diarrhea epidemic

USA TODAY reached out to the National Restaurant Association, which represents the industry, and several major national fast-food chains to ask if they were doing anything different regarding the outbreak. These included Taco Bell’s parent company, YUM! Brands include McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Jersey Mike’s, Burger King, Subway and Wendy’s. Neither immediately returned USA TODAY’s requests for comment.

Meanwhile, Chipotle’s head of corporate affairs and food safety, Laurie Schalow, said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY on July 11 that Chipotle is monitoring the situation.

“We are aware of the Cyclospora research and do not believe the ingredients we are currently sourcing are related,” Schalow said. “We are monitoring the situation closely and evaluating new information as it becomes available. The health and safety of our guests and team members is our top priority.”

Updates on the Cyclospora outbreak

Investigators still not sure what happened causing an increase Although it is known that cyclosporiasis fresh produce and water It can harbor cyclospora, which is often spread through feces that people eat in contaminated products.

Records from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention There are over 840 cases as of July 9, but states are reporting much higher numbers of cyclosporiasis and there are thousands of suspects across the country. In Michigan, where cases are increasing rapidly, paramedics determined More than 1,500 cases and 44 people hospitalized.

Parasite infection is not usually life-threatening, and it is unusual for people to spread it directly to each other. But if left untreated, symptoms of cyclosporiasis, including watery bowel movements, explosive diarrhea, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, can last more than a month.

People can take steps to reduce the risk of contracting parasites at home, such as washing hands frequently before handling produce and cooking fruits and vegetables to kill the parasite.

Some restaurants are making changes due to the epidemic

While authorities try to trace the source of the outbreak, some restaurants are already explaining their processes to customers to prevent the parasite from spreading.

On July 10, Dipisa’s Pizza in Stevensville, Michigan, said lettuce, tomatoes and onions were cautiously removed from the menu.

“Rather than take unnecessary risks, we decided it was best to suspend the offering of these fresh products until more information became available and the situation was resolved.” pizzeria’s Facebook post in question.

Red B Restaurant in Idabel, Oklahoma said: July 10 Facebook post Although there are no confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the state, it was stated that the restaurant took additional precautions.

Even though the lettuce and spinach were pre-washed but not bagged, the restaurant soaked and washed the items again, the post said. This can make the salad a little wetter, the restaurant’s post noted. The post added that the restaurant deducted kale and parsley from the charge because they are harder to clean.

Roma’s Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant in Michigan says it never uses packaged lettuce, purchasing whole heads of lettuce and cutting them fresh in-house every day. The restaurant said this decision had already been made. July 9 Facebook postdue to the freshness, texture and quality of the whole lettuce. The restaurant said it had not received any reports of illness related to the lettuce.

USA TODAY has reached out to the restaurants for more information.

Experts weigh in on eating out safely

Recommendations from federal health agencies have largely focused on preparing meals at home rather than eating out. Some experts say it’s a good idea to be careful if you’re trying to avoid the disease.

Rodney E. Rohde, a microbiologist and chair of the Medical Laboratory Science Program at Texas State University College of Health Professions, says it’s best to stay away from fresh fruit and salad bars when dining out, at least for now, especially when you can’t tell their origins or washing methods.

Cyclospora can spread easily, he said. It is more resistant to traditional chlorine-based cleaning methods. Although washing produce is recommended, if the parasite has settled in the cracks of contaminated fruits or green leafy vegetables, rinsing alone cannot completely eliminate the parasite. Rohde, who recently wrote about this topic, said the important thing is awareness and caution about what people eat. Parasite for the State of Texas.

It is still unclear whether this is one large multistate outbreak or several smaller outbreaks occurring simultaneously. Dr. Suraj Saggarthe chief of infectious diseases at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.

Saggar, who is familiar with the parasite, said there may be multiple clusters involving different sources.

“What’s different this year is the unusually high number of cases and the fact that researchers still haven’t identified a specific source. Often, public health officials can trace an outbreak to a specific farm, grower, supplier or contaminated water source and issue a targeted recall,” Saggar said. he said. “They have not been able to do so at this time, which suggests that multiple contaminated products or multiple unrelated outbreaks may be occurring at the same time.

“This is an important public health story due to the number of cases overall and the lack of a clearly identified source,” Saggar concluded.

Marler, the food safety attorney, said cyclospora is also a summer problem and cases don’t usually occur in the winter. It’s unclear why the country is seeing more outbreaks, especially increases that are occurring domestically rather than internationally as was the case more than a decade ago.

Of course, avoiding foodborne illnesses is nearly impossible, Rohde said. However, in epidemics, public health is critical in detecting and preventing the spread of pathogens, as well as tracking cases and finding their origins.

Meanwhile, there are fewer federal public health workers in the country than in the past, the official said, adding that the epidemic “probably spread more widely than we thought.”

This article first appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Explosive diarrhea’ parasite causes some restaurants to change menu