(File Photo: Source for Photo: This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. (CDC via AP)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Silver Spring, MD) The Food and Drug Administration stated on Sunday that a sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms which had tested positive for the parasite cyclospora was a false positive.

However, the FDA said yesterday that its investigation and data will “continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico.”   

The FDA noted in a subsequent statement that same day “To clarify, this false-positive lab sample DOES NOT change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the overwhelming epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms.”   

The CDC affirms that this outbreak was first reported in May and has spread to 34 states and sickened over 1,600 people. 

According to public health experts, cyclosporiasis is a food- and waterborne illness that is caused by cyclospora, and it causes long-lasting, watery and sometimes explosive diarrhea. 

Outbreaks are occurring in late spring and summer typically and they have historically been linked to bagged salads, cilantro, basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions.