Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Investigations: Timeline — United States, 2013

Timeline PDF Version [PDF, 449 KB]

Epidemiologic and Regulatory Investigations

June 28: CDC receives report of 2 laboratory-confirmed cases of Cyclospora infection in Iowa.

July 3: Nebraska reports 5 confirmed cases; Iowa posts a "Call for Cases" on Epi-X by which time 7 cases had been reported.

July 16: CDC and FDA begin coordinating multistate investigation.

July 19: FDA begins traceback investigation for prepackaged salad mix in Iowa and Nebraska.

July 22: CDC posts outbreak investigation Web page to be updated with information about ongoing investigation; FDA posts outbreak investigation Web page to be updated with information about ongoing investigation.

August 2: FDA names Taylor Farms de Mexico as the source of the prepackaged salad mix implicated in Iowa and Nebraska, noting that restaurants using the salad mix include Olive Garden and Red Lobster, both owned by Darden Restaurants; FDA increases its headquarters investigation team to 21 staff members, and staff at 10 field offices also working on the investigation.

August 4: First CDC Epi-Aid team to West Texas to investigate cases of cyclosporiasis in that state.

August 8: CDC Director activates Emergency Operations Center to support expanded investigation activities.

August 9: Taylor Farms de Mexico voluntarily suspends processing, harvesting, shipping, and selling of salad mix ingredients and agrees not to resume operations without FDA approval.

August 11: CDC epidemiologist sent to Washington, DC, to serve as liaison with FDA's outbreak investigation.

August 12: Environmental assessment team begins inspection at Taylor Farms de Mexico's production facility.

August 14: Second CDC Epi-Aid team to Texas to work with Fort Bend Co. Health Dept. on restaurant-associated cluster.

August 19: Testing of more than 500 product and water samples and 243 feces samples from Taylor Farms de Mexico test negative for Cyclospora.

August 22: CDC epidemiologic investigation expands analysis to include grocery store clusters in Texas.

August 25: With FDA concurrence, Taylor Farms de Mexico resumes production and shipment of salad mix ingredients to the United States.

August 26: CDC announces that preliminary analysis of results from investigation into restaurant-associated cluster in Fort Bend Co., shows no connection to prepackaged salad mix; investigation continues.

Late August: CDC's preliminary epidemiologic investigation indicates that fresh cilantro from Mexico is the likely source of restaurant-associated cases in Texas.

August–October: Preliminary traceback indicates cilantro from Puebla, Mexico, was a source of some Texas illness clusters; FDA increases border surveillance for cilantro.

October 23: CDC announces that epidemiologic and traceback investigations conducted by state and local public health and regulatory officials in Texas, the FDA, and CDC indicate that some illnesses in Texas were linked to fresh cilantro grown in Puebla, Mexico.