MEXICO CITY, July 21 (Reuters) – There is no evidence as yet to suggest that lettuce sourced from Mexico caused a cyclosporiasis outbreak in the United States, Mexico’s health minister David Kershenobich said on Tuesday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported approximately 100 hospitalizations linked to the parasitic infection, which causes severe diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms.
The outbreak has been traced to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
“So far, no evidence has been found to indicate that it originated there,” Kershenobich said during a regular government press conference, referring to the central Mexican state of Guanajuato where he said authorities were looking into the issue. “However, we are taking all precautions in case that were the case,” he added.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Saturday that a sample of lettuce from supplier Taylor Farms had tested positive for the parasite. However, the agency said on Sunday that the result was a false positive following a re-review of the data.
(Reporting by Raul Cortes, Writing by Natalia Siniawski, Editing by Daina Beth Solomon)
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