The mysterious stomach bug has been figured out. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Tuesday that the illness that has plagued at least 350 people in 15 states is cyclospora. The state has the most recorded illnesses due to the bug with 143 becoming sick. The source of the illness has been linked to a bagged salad mix that 80 percent of patients reported eating before becoming sick, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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Officials have not released the name of the brand, but assured that it is no longer on the shelves. It is not known whether the product was imported or domestic, though it's not likely that any of the produce was grown in Iowa. The mix contains romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, carrots and red cabbage.
"The evidence points to a salad mix containing iceberg and romaine lettuce, as well as carrots and red cabbage as the source of the outbreak reported in Iowa and Nebraska," Steven Mandernach, chief of the Food and Consumer Safety Bureau of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, told reporters. "Iowans should continue eating salads as the implicated prepackaged mix is no longer in the state's food supply chain."
Cyclospora is a parasite that appears in contaminated food or water. It can cause stomach pain, nausea, low fever, weight loss and, most notably, watery diarrhea. If left untreated, it can last up to 57 days. It can also manifest itself into other problems, such as dehydration, due to the diarrhea it causes. Lab tests are required to find the bug and it requires special medications to treat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported cases of the parasite in Texas, Nebraska, Florida, Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Ohio.
The Food and Drug Administration is encouraging people to practice safe food handling in the wake of the outbreak. This includes washing hands, avoiding cross-contaminiation and keeping all utencils and surfaces clean. The FDA is also following seven other leads to find other potential sources of the stomach bug, CBS News reported.
"This is labor intensive and painstaking work, requiring the collection, review and analysis of hundreds and at times thousands of invoices and shipping documents," it said in a statement.
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