Two Oregon residents have been confirmed with Cyclospora infections in a development that may be connected to the wider multistate foodborne illness outbreak. Health officials said both people had traveled, and the cases are being looked at as possible links to the national investigation.
The broader outbreak has been associated with recalled shredded iceberg lettuce, though authorities have not said the Oregon illnesses are definitively tied to that product. The cases add Oregon to the list of states monitoring potential connections to the parasite-related outbreak.
Officials said the current risk in Oregon remains low. Even so, they warned that additional cases could still be identified as public health agencies continue tracking reports tied to the nationwide outbreak.
Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause intestinal illness, and outbreaks are often investigated through food exposure histories and product recalls. In Oregon, the focus now appears to be on determining whether these two infections were part of the same larger pattern linked to the recalled lettuce.
