Michigan health officials have reported the nation’s first two deaths tied to a cyclosporiasis outbreak that has affected thousands of Americans since May, according to the Independent.

Both patients, whose names and ages have not been revealed, had pre-existing health conditions that state officials have said could have been compounded by the parasite, resulting in dehydration. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said no further details on the case will be released.


Michigan currently leads the country in reported cases, with 11, 234 infections and 193 hospitalizations. The United States has registered over 17000 cases so far. The CDC has verified 6,707 lab-confirmed cases since May 1, and is aware of more unconfirmed cases. However, its public surveillance data lists Michigan as being in the 1000-4000 case range.

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian addressed the issue at hand, noting:

“We have had to pull in dozens of staff from other areas, from hepatitis C and interns who are working on gun violence prevention.”

— Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan Chief Medical Executive, Reuters

Multiple outlets have reported on the undercount and attributed it to a six-week lag between when people fall ill and when cases are actually logged.

The largest clusters of the outbreak currently span nine states: Michigan, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana, and Illinois. It has been traced to iceberg lettuce that was distributed by Taylor Farms, which was grown in central Mexico. The ingredient has made its way into popular food chains, like Taco Bell, along with retail grocery stores. It has since triggered a recall in the wake of the spike in infections.

North Carolina health workers have linked a few cases to contaminated parsley and cilantro. Outbreaks have also surfaced in the United Kingdom.

Cyclosporiasis is caused by the parasite Cyclospora, which is usually spread through contaminated water or produce. This usually results in a few thousand cases in the United States annually, which is the reason that the spike in recent months drew so much attention.

Symptoms linked to the disease, such as nausea, vomiting, and dehydration, can take weeks to manifest, making it difficult for patients ot link the issue with the contaminated produce that might have been consumed. Tracking the disease has been a challenge, as reported by Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.

Identifying Cyclospora through whole-genome sequencing (WGS) remains difficult compared to bacterial pathogens. This makes pinpointing the exact origin of the outbreak very difficult, forcing officials to largely rely on epidemiological evidence.

Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.