Tracing Cyclospora: Why haven’t officials nailed down the source in NC? - WRAL

Cyclospora outbreaks across five states—Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia—have been officially linked to shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell, according to the CDC and FDA.
North Carolina cases have not been connected to the Taco Bell lettuce; the state Department of Health and Human Services said Friday the foods most commonly reported by affected residents include parsley, cilantro and lettuce.
Taylor Farms, a lettuce supplier for Taco Bell, announced Friday it would remove and replace its lettuce.
Rutgers University food microbiologist Don Schaffner said Cyclospora is unusually hard to trace because its incubation period runs from two days to as long as 14 days, far longer than the 24-to-72-hour window for E. coli and Salmonella, causing memories to fade before patients are interviewed.
Schaffner noted that genetic fingerprinting technology for the organism is limited and that identifying a source depends on time-consuming interviews and statistical correlations, which are difficult when the suspected food, such as lettuce, is commonly eaten by many people.
He advised that anyone who ate at Taco Bell and has diarrhea should see a doctor, while those without symptoms are likely fine, and cautioned that if the North Carolina cases are not linked to the multistate outbreak, the source there may never be determined.