Texas Cyclospora Outbreak Puts Focus on These Summer Foods

Every summer, my grocery cart looks about the same: fresh fruit, salsa ingredients, guacamole supplies and at least one bag of lettuce that I swear I'm going to use. Anything so that I won’t have to turn on the stove in this heat!

So when I saw the foods that have been linked to past Cyclospora outbreaks, I realized my shopping list looked a lot like the list health officials were talking about.

Thankfully, the CDC says there's one important distinction: these foods have not been identified as the source of the current outbreak affecting Texas and several other states. They're simply foods that have been linked to previous outbreaks and often become part of investigators' search for the source.

Texas Cyclospora Outbreak: Here's What the CDC Wants You to Know

If you've seen lists of foods linked to Cyclospora online, it's easy to assume they're responsible for the current outbreak. They're not.

The CDC says investigators have not identified the source of the current outbreak. The foods in the gallery below have all been linked to previous Cyclospora outbreaks and are included because they're among the fresh produce items investigators often examine- not because they've been confirmed in this case.

Why Fresh Produce Keeps Showing Up in Cyclospora Investigations

One thing you'll notice about the gallery is that it's full of foods many of us eat all summer long.

Fresh herbs, berries, leafy greens and other produce are commonly eaten raw, which is why they're often part of Cyclospora investigations if contamination happens somewhere along the supply chain.

That doesn't mean they're unsafe. Millions of people eat fresh produce every day without getting sick- it simply explains why investigators frequently start there when trying to trace an outbreak.

No Need to Toss Out Your Summer Favorites

The CDC isn't telling people to stop eating fresh produce. Instead, it recommends washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them, while noting that Cyclospora can sometimes be difficult to remove with washing alone.

If you experience symptoms such as prolonged watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea or fatigue, the CDC recommends contacting a healthcare provider.

At the end of the day, investigators are still working to answer the biggest question: What's causing the current outbreak? Until then, the foods in the gallery are simply a reminder of what has been linked to Cyclospora in the past- but not what has been confirmed today.

And as for me? My grocery cart will probably look exactly the same the next time I head to the store. The only difference is I'll be washing my produce a little more carefully while health officials work to figure out what's behind the current outbreak.