The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Gulsun Akdemir Evrendilek is an associate extension professor and seafood technology and food safety specialist at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The views expressed here are her own and do not reflect those of the university.
For many Mainers, summer means fresh salads, leafy greens, berries and other produce. We rightly associate these foods with healthy eating. But a recent outbreak of cyclosporiasis reminds us that even foods that are good for us can occasionally carry risks that are difficult to see.
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a microscopic parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness characterized most commonly by prolonged, watery diarrhea. Unlike bacteria such as salmonella and escherichia coli, cyclospora cannot multiply in food. Instead, people become infected by swallowing mature parasite eggs, called oocysts, that have contaminated food or water.
This summer, that risk has become particularly relevant in Maine. As of Aug. 7, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention had identified 27 confirmed and probable cases of cyclosporiasis in the state. Ten of those cases involved people who consumed produce in Maine directly associated with the multistate iceberg lettuce recall. Maine consequently met the national definition for inclusion in the multistate outbreak.
The outbreak is part of a much larger national picture. The U.S. Centers fo Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 13,900 laboratory-confirmed cases of domestically acquired cyclosporiasis between May 1 and Aug. 11, across 47 states.
So, should Mainers be worried?
We should be aware but not alarmed.
Cyclospora outbreaks are not new. They have occurred repeatedly in the United States, particularly during the spring and summer, and have frequently been associated with fresh produce eaten raw. Leafy greens, herbs and berries have all been implicated in previous outbreaks.
What makes cyclospora particularly challenging is its life cycle. Infected people shed immature oocysts in their feces, but these oocysts are not immediately infectious. They generally need about seven to 14 days in the environment to mature. This means that direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely. Instead, contamination typically occurs when human waste reaches agricultural environments through untreated sewage, contaminated irrigation water, or floodwater.
This is an important distinction. The problem is not simply that an infected food worker touched your lettuce. In fact, because freshly shed oocysts are not immediately infectious, direct handling by an infected worker is considered highly unlikely to cause illness. Contamination occurs much earlier, somewhere along a complicated production and distribution chain that may cross state and international borders.
The current outbreak illustrates both the strengths and limitations of our food-safety system. The system is working when public health officials identify patterns of illness, laboratories detect infections, epidemiologists investigate common exposures, regulators trace contaminated food, and companies issue recalls In the current outbreak, federal and state agencies have worked together to identify iceberg lettuce as a source associated with illnesses and to remove recalled product from the market.
But a functioning food-safety system does not mean that every contaminated food will be detected before someone eats it.
Fresh produce presents a particular challenge. It is often consumed raw, has a short shelf life, and may pass through many hands and locations before reaching a consumer. By the time an outbreak is recognized, the contaminated food may already have been eaten or discarded. That makes identifying the original source especially difficult.
Consumers also need to understand an important limitation: washing produce is good food-safety practice, but washing alone cannot reliably eliminate cyclospora. The parasite can adhere tightly to fresh produce surfaces. Routine chemical disinfection is unlikely to kill it. When practical, cooking produce to an internal temperature of at least 158°F (70°C) can inactivate cyclospora.
For now, the most important action for consumers is to pay attention to specific recalls and public-health advisories. If you have recalled iceberg lettuce, do not eat it; follow the recall instructions for disposal or return.
At the same time, we should not conclude that fresh produce is unsafe. Quite the opposite: fruits and vegetables remain an essential part of a healthy diet. The lesson from cyclospora is that food safety is a shared responsibility.
Farmers, food processors, distributors, regulators, public-health agencies, retailers and consumers all have roles to play. Better agricultural water management, sanitation, outbreak surveillance and traceability can reduce contamination before food reaches our kitchens. Consumers can stay informed, wash produce under clean running water, and follow recalls.
The question, then, is not whether our food-safety system can eliminate every risk. No food system can do that.
The more important question is whether we have the scientific knowledge, surveillance systems and public-health cooperation necessary to recognize risks, respond quickly and continually improve prevention.
The current cyclospora outbreak is a reminder that the answer must always be: we can do better — and we must keep doing better.