Nothing says “healthy lifestyle” quite like getting sick from vegetables. It’s an irony of the modern age, although technically, eating this lettuce can lead to significant weight loss despite how little you’ll be moving (from the toilet).
It’s become a summer tradition nobody asked for. Every year around the Fourth of July, the headlines start: another multistate outbreak, another produce recall, and another round of people who did the “right” thing by eating a salad and ended up regretting it. This summer, the CDC has been tracking a multistate Cyclospora outbreak, with shredded iceberg lettuce recalled along the way (Vegetable Growers News, CIDRAP).
What Is Cyclospora?#
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a microscopic parasite. People get sick by eating food or drinking water contaminated with it, and the illness it causes is called cyclosporiasis. It doesn’t spread directly from person to person, because the parasite has to spend time in the environment before it becomes infectious.
Cases in the U.S. spike from about May through August, when we’re eating more fresh produce. Past outbreaks have been linked to cilantro, basil, raspberries, bagged salad mixes, and leafy greens. In other words, the exact foods everyone tells you to eat more of.
The Symptoms#
Symptoms usually start about a week after eating something contaminated, though it can be anywhere from two days to two weeks. That delay is part of why outbreaks are so hard to trace. Nobody remembers what was in their salad nine days ago.
The main symptom is frequent, watery diarrhea. It can also come with:
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Stomach cramps and bloating
- Nausea
- Fatigue
Without treatment, it can last from a few days to over a month, and symptoms can go away and come back. The good news is that it’s treatable with prescription antibiotics, so if you’ve got these symptoms and they’re not letting up, call your doctor and mention you’re worried about Cyclospora. It takes a specific test to find it.
What You Can Do#
The frustrating part is that Cyclospora is tough to wash off. The CDC still recommends thoroughly washing fresh fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking them, but it notes that washing may not remove all of the parasite. Cooking kills it, which doesn’t help much when the whole point is a salad.
The practical steps are pretty simple:
- Wash produce anyway. It reduces risk from Cyclospora and removes other germs and dirt.
- Pay attention to recalls. When a recall hits, check your fridge for the brand and lot numbers, including bagged salads and pre-cut produce.
- Grow some of your own. A few pots of lettuce, herbs, and greens on the patio is the closest thing to “knowing the dirt” your food grew in.
- Buy local when you can. Shorter supply chains mean fewer hands and fewer chances for contamination, and it’s easier to ask the farmer how it was grown.
I’m not going to stop eating salads. But it’s hard not to laugh (nervously) at the idea that the healthiest item on the menu is the one most likely to keep you home from work.
#cyclosporiasis
