Short Stuff: Cyclospora

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Today we're talking about the recent cyclosporiasis outbreak that everyone heard about, notably with, like, tainted lettuce, usually, is what you were hearing on the news, and Taco Bell was in the news, because it turns out that the supplier that they used seems to have been ground zero for this outbreak, but we're going to explain what cyclospora is all about. Yeah, this outbreak, as of August 13th, which is the latest data we could find, it's August 20th now, so this is old. It's 28,056 people have been sickened with cyclosporiasis. I'm going with cyclosporiasis. It sounded like you gave the British pronunciation. Sporiasis, yes. Yeah, it suddenly sounded like you had T in your hand. Yeah, yeah. So 28,000-plus people have been sickened. Two people have died, and just a month before, it was at 9,481 cases. And you're like, wow, that's a lot of people. And it is. This is actually the third biggest foodborne outbreak in U.S. history. From what anyone could tell, it's the biggest cyclospora outbreak in human history. And even with those eye-popping stats associated with it, that 28,000-plus people have been sickened with cyclosporiasis. So the 28,000-case number is probably just a fraction of the actual number of cases of people who have gotten sickened with cyclosporiasis. Yeah, for sure. I think there are only 38 states reporting. As far as reporting goes, it's like people who went to the hospital. And a lot of people just wrote it out, I'm sure. And then even at the hospital, you have to have a special test to see if it's actually that. And not all the hospitals probably did that test. So they probably just treated people for dehydration and diarrhea. So it's a much bigger number than that. And let's talk about what this thing is, because it is not a plant. It's not a fungus or an animal. It's not a bacteria or a virus. It is a protozoan, and it's a parasite. And the human is the host. Yeah, and it's not brand new. But the reason we can pretty confidently say that in all of human history, this is the biggest outbreak of cyclosporiasis, is because the first case that anyone's ever documented was in like 1978 in Papua New Guinea. And it's even newer here in the United States. The first outbreak was in 1995, right? Yeah, in Chicago, only 23 cases. Then there was one in Florida the next year, about 45 cases. Those were raspberries from Guatemala. And every summer, basically, there's a little something, but nothing like we saw this year. You know, this stuff can live, this protozoan can live in rivers. It lives in water, drinking water, rivers, lakes, swimming pools. And it likes to hide in like berries and leafy vegetables because there's lots of little crevices and nooks and crannies where it won't get washed out, even if you're like rinsing your stuff. Also on knives and utensils, and also from unwashed hands. Gross. Very gross. And like, just let's be clear, it passes through human sewage. That's its mode of transportation, right? That's right. So that means that somebody had human poop on their knife or their hands, if that's where you got it. Yeah. So we should talk about the life cycle because it begins when it enters your mouth. It is in what's earliest stage, it's an infectious oocyst. Did you know how that's most pronounced? That's the British way of pronouncing it. I'm going with oocyst. It is oocyst. I actually looked that up. Oh. And it is an egg that basically protects it from the outside world until it gets into the human system where it latches onto your gut and starts a 14-stage life cycle, which takes two days to two weeks to incubate before it becomes an infection. Yeah. And the reason it takes so long is because that oocyst, is that what you said? Yeah. The emphasis on the first ooh. Ooh. Or oocyst, sorry. Oocyst. Yeah. I like ooh, ooh, cyst. It's very tough. It's like a tough container, like you said, that protects the actual infectious part and it has to break down and it's evolved to break down in the human gut thanks to your digestive juices and your bile and the temperature of your body inside your gut. All those things come together and break that oocyst down and now, all of a sudden, four sausage-shaped sporulets get dumped out into your gut and start going to work and essentially making it really hard for your gut to absorb water and because your body's trying to poop this stuff out, you have water butt like you have never had it before. That's right. And every time you do poop, you pass along up to 10,000 oocysts per cubic centimeter of feces. That's a lot. Ooey gooey feces, it says. Should we take a break? Yeah. All right, we'll be right back. We're learning things with Chuck and Josh Stuff you should know I'm Martha Stewart from the Martha Stewart Podcast. You know what I love about cooking? The endless inspiration. Sharing exceptional flavors, and, of course, the best ingredients. I refuse to make a dish without them. Now McCormick's new line of signature seasonings make bringing fresh inspiration and endless versatility to everyday dishes easier than ever. There's the everyday essential, garlic and olive oil, the savory sweetness of caramelized onion, and globally inspired flavors like the herby with a cherry, a touch of heat, chimichurri, and chili garlic that elevates everything from ramen to stir fry to even grilled meats. Try the chimichurri blend to make your steaks delicious. Each signature seasoning is crafted by flavor experts to make every dish more delicious. Find your favorite at mccormick.com. This episode sponsored by She's Birdie. You lock the hotel room door, then check it again, and maybe one more time, because even the nicest room can feel unfamiliar at night. That's why She's Birdie created BirdieBox. With She's Birdie, you can bring peace of mind with you. 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Yeah, what's interesting is there's not the inflammation or fever that's usually associated with a stomach bug. It's just a lot of pooping and the risk of really bad dehydration and then all the stuff that comes with that, right? That's right. So once you poop that stuff out, it makes it back into the water supply. It gets back into your food stuff, as we'll talk about in a second, and then the cycle begins again. And that's probably what happened. The water supply was used on food crops where really if you step back and think about it for even a second, it shouldn't be. But let's talk about, Chuck, why this U.S. outbreak in 2026 is the biggest one, the biggest cyclosporiasis outbreak in human history. Yeah, well, one is climate change, you know, with rising temperatures across the world. And so, you know, there's a lot of things that we can do to help people. And so, you know, there's a lot of things that we can do to Americans are getting their crops from just, you know, the same places, basically. So if something like this happens, like happened at Taylor Farms, this was Taylor Farms to Mexico, which was the agricultural site, even though it's a California-based company. All of a sudden, this stuff's going out all over the country. There's also a set, Taylor Farms is also being identified as a source of the other outbreaks, a couple of them, the salmonella outbreak, the salmonella outbreak, at least from jalapenos, I think. Yeah. Yeah. And for those who don't speak Spanish, Taylor Farms de Mexico means Taylor Farms of Mexico. So, and it's not just Mexico or Guatemala where you're going to find tainted produce. Something I was kind of alluding to earlier is that the cyclospora finds its way to your food crops through human sewage. And that can actually happen in the United States. Because there are, let me find it, more than half, I think 27 states allow for treated sewage water to be used to irrigate food crops. I did not know that. I didn't either. Nine states don't have any policy, four have guidelines, and 14 states allow it for crops, but not food crops. And, you know, yeah, that's where it's coming from. Yes. So, they, and we did say treated sewage waste. Yeah, of course. Right. So, it's not like they're just spraying like feces all over your lettuce. But essentially, on a microscopic level, they often are because a lot of sewage treatment plants aren't set up to handle cyclospora. Because again, this is not your average bacteria or virus. This is its own thing. So, the oocytes, cysts can make it through onto your lettuce. Whatever. And then also, sometimes those bacteria and the viruses that the sewage treatment plant is set up to take care of make it through anyway. So, this is what I was saying. It seems pretty smart to just stop using treated sewage on food crops. Yeah. And maybe fund the agencies that are responsible for keeping track of this stuff. Would be awesome. For sure. Yeah. So, if you feel at all like you should go to the hospital if you have cyclosporiasis right now. Or if you have really bad water, but for any reason, just go. Like, don't risk it, whatever. But if you don't want to get cyclosporiasis, there are some steps you can take. One of them is at the very least, wash off all your stuff because that can help. But cyclosporiasis can still hide. Right, Chuck? Yeah. I mean, we talked in Act 1 about the little nooks and crannies and it's hard to get to sometimes. The only thing to like kill it is to cook it to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. But you're not cooking your lettuce for your taco. No, that's great. That's like the mom in Better Off Dead who boiled the bacon. Yeah. That was a really silly part of that movie, that whole mom scene. Yeah. Stuff that's, you know, like stuff that has a nice wrapper around it, like a banana or an avocado. You're doing okay. And, you know, do plenty of hand washing, obviously, as well. For sure. And if you are on the verge or have already started an email telling us how you used to like us before we became political. Just stop. Don't bother. Short stuff's out. Stuff You Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.