"Warming is expected to fuel the spread of food-borne pathogens. We might not be prepared."
"The United States is going through the largest cyclosporiasis outbreak on record. Thousands of people, mostly in the Midwest, have fallen sick with stomach cramps and severe diarrhea. The authorities have linked the food-borne illnesses to lettuce grown in Mexico and served at some Taco Bell locations.
My colleagues on the Well team have been covering the race to trace the source of the outbreak, and it took a twist this week.
On Saturday, the Food and Drug Administration announced that lab tests had confirmed cyclospora contamination in iceberg lettuce from Mexico. The company that runs the operation, Taylor Farms, issued a recall based on other epidemiological evidence and then expanded it after the lab test came in. But then, on Sunday, the F.D.A. said the test had been a false positive. Taylor Farms is still a focus of the investigation, and the recall remains in effect.
It’s still not clear whether climate change played a role in the current outbreak. Cyclospora is a parasite that spreads through human feces, and it’s rare for investigators to pinpoint a precise source of contamination."
