How does cyclospora compare to some of the worst outbreaks in US history?

News How does cyclospora compare to some of the worst outbreaks in US history? Comments: by Jeremy Tanner - 08/08/26 10:30 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Jeremy Tanner - 08/08/26 10:30 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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(NEXSTAR) – Amid the ongoing investigations into outbreaks of both “explosive diarrhea”-causing cyclospora and salmonella affecting dozens of states, the daily headlines are reminiscent of past foodborne illness crises that gripped the nation.

As of August 4, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there have been 10,468 lab-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1, including those tied to Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico.

The CDC says there have been more than 12,255 unconfirmed cases, many of which were reported in Michigan, where two people have died.

Meantime, jalapeño peppers – also sourced from Mexico – have been linked to at least 345 cases of salmonella across 27 states. At least three dozen people have been hospitalized, with the outbreak prompting major Mexican food chains Chipotle and Qdoba to pull jalapeños from their menus.

Despite the widespread publicity and thousands of cases involved, the two current outbreaks have so far proven less deadly than some historic, notorious cases.

Contaminated oysters lead to typhoid outbreak (1924)

Oysters contaminated with Salmonella Typhi led to a deadly outbreak of typhoid fever in 1924 that killed 150 people and sickened an estimated 1,500, according to Michigan State University researchers.

Those who died may have been ill for up to three weeks, left “delirious or lying motionless from exhaustion, eyes half closed in what is called ‘the typhoid state,'” according to one report.

The tainted oysters were believed to have been distributed by a company in West Sayville, New York. It was the deadliest outbreak in U.S. history and led to the creation of National Shellfish Sanitation Program.

Mexican-style cheese (1985)

The outbreak, centered in Los Angeles County, was believed to have been caused by tainted, unpasteurized milk used to make soft Mexican cheese.

Of the 142 cases, more than half were pregnant women or their children. According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), 28 people died, including 18 adults and 10 newborns.

Investigators ultimately traced the outbreak to cheeses made by Jalisco Mexican Projects Inc.

Jack in the Box (1992-1993)

An outbreak of E. coli killed four children in four states and sickened more than 700 people across Washington, Idaho, California and Nevada before investigators finally traced it to undercooked hamburgers sold at Jack in the Box.

The ensuing investigation by federal regulators changed regulatory practices in the U.S., experts say.

Alyssa Chrobuck, who was hospitalized with E. coli during the 1993 Jack in the Box outbreak. She displays a photo of her with her family before her illness, left, and as a child in her hospital bed, Friday, Jan. 18, 2008, in Seattle. As an adult, Chrobuck has a host of unusual health problems that she says her doctors have attributed to that bout. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

An investigation by the CDC identified five slaughter plants in the U.S. and one in Canada as the likely sources of animals used in the contaminated lots of meat and identified potential control points for reducing the likelihood of contamination. The animals slaughtered in domestic slaughter plants were traced to farms and auctions in six western states. No one slaughter plant or farm was identified as the source.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture mandated a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, which helps identify and control hazards within the system of food production. The system provided for more monitoring and controls to rapidly limit the spread of outbreaks.

Schwan’s ice cream (1994)

A nationwide salmonella outbreak that sickened an estimated 224,000 people in 1994 was caused by ice cream from Minnesota-based Schwan’s Company.

Investigators determined that the source of the salmonella was the tanker trailers that transported the pasteurized ice cream premix. Those same trailers previously carried non-pasteurized liquid eggs that tested positive for the bacteria, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine.

E. coli outbreak in spinach (2006)

A 2006 outbreak of E. coli traced to contaminated fresh spinach infected 199 people across 26 states, according to the CDC. Three people died, including a 2-year-old.

After speaking with patients, some of whom still had the spinach bags in their homes, federal investigators identified the source of the contamination as a load of spinach grown on a field in California adjacent to land used for cattle grazing, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Samples of river water taken as close as one mile away from the spinach were found to be contaminated with E. coli, as were samples of cattle and wild pig feces from the ranch.

Peanut butter (2008-09)

Peanut butter tainted with salmonella killed nine people and sickened hundreds, leading to a 28-year prison sentence for the former CEO of the Peanut Corporation of America, Stewart Parnell.

FILE – In this March 12, 2009, file photo, Peanut Corporation of America’s president Stewart Parnell arrives a federal court in Lynchburg, Va. (AP Photo/Don Petersen, File)

An indictment said the company misled its customers about the existence of salmonella in its product, even when lab tests showed it was present. It added that the co-workers even fabricated certificates accompanying some of the peanut shipments saying they were safe when tests said otherwise.

A jury convicted Parnell of 71 counts including conspiracy, obstruction of justice, wire fraud and other crimes related to the salmonella outbreak in 2008 and 2009.

It prompted one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history.

Contaminated cantaloupes (2011)

Two farmers were charged and convicted in a listeriosis outbreak that left 33 dead and sickened another 147, according to the CDC.

The tainted cantaloupes came from Jensen Farms in Holly, Colorado.

The owners of the farmer, Eric and Ryan Jensen, were accused of failing to wash the melons properly, leading to the nationwide outbreak. They were both given five years of probation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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